Somewhere Along The Bitterness
by GeekBastard23
Summary: 'So, tell me about how the two of you got together.' - 'Your mom and me.' - 'No, I'm talking about Papa and you.' Tali wants to know how her two dads came to be. Set in the distant future. Tony/Gibbs Slash. Spoilers for S13E24.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** After I watched the season finale and the way Tony was written out (I kinda liked it btw, but I'm aware I'm in the minority on this one), I couldn't help but think about how his story would go on. Here are my thoughts on it. I don't know how long this is going to get, depends on how much interest there is, I suppose. Anyway, I hope you like it.

This is Tibbs Slash, of course.

 _Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me._

* * *

 **Somewhere Along the Bitterness**

Tony looked up from the tedious paper work that his job brought with it from time to time to catch a glimpse of the news that showed firemen trying to put out a blaze somewhere in DC. He felt his heart clench like every time he thought about how fires had changed his life. First his decision to join the force after he had rescued that boy when he'd been in college and then Ziva's death which brought him Tali.

As if she'd heard that he was thinking about her, she entered the living room right at that exact moment and sat down next to him. Sometimes it nearly hurt to look at her because she looked so alike her mother. Tali's long brown hair was falling in wild curls over her shoulders and her bronze skin looked like she'd just spent the whole of summer on the beach. It was only her eyes that gave away that she was his daughter, too. That – and the love for movies and talking.

"Hey Abba?" she started now, while chewing her gum. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, kiddo," he said, dropping the pen he'd been holding onto the coffee table in front of him. "What's up?"

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

 _Uh-Oh._ Was this the dreaded question about the birds and the bees that Tony had been afraid of for quite some time now? Sure, he had known that it was coming, Tali was already thirteen years old, but for some reason he had always wished she wouldn't ask that question until she was like thirty. Internally sighing, he trained his eyes upon his daughter, wishing that he'd have support in answering this. When Tali opened her mouth though, she didn't seem embarrassed which caused Tony to relax at least a bit. Maybe it wasn't about that after all.

"I know I never asked… but how did the two of you get together?"

Smiling softly, Tony leaned back, stretched out his left hand, took hold of a loose strand of Tali's hair and tucked it behind her ear. He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering Ziva's first day at NCIS and how they had loved and hated each other at the same time for a really long while after that. He decided to skip that part because it surely wasn't what Tali wanted to hear right now.

"You know your mom and I worked together, right?"

"Oh, I know about _that_ ," Tali dismissed it with a wave of her hand and a roll of her eyes.

"Stop doing that, I always think your mom's in the room when you do that."

"Good," Tali smiled.

Tony nudged her on the shoulder and then ruffled her hair affectionately, wondering why he had ever been afraid of having kids. Tali had grown up to be an intelligent young lady and while at times it hurt him thinking about how fast she was growing up, he couldn't help but to be proud of himself, too. He really had done well with her. But maybe he had just gotten lucky.

"But I don't want to know about Ima and you. Abby told me all about it. And Jimmy did. Even Victoria. You two are like an urban legend around here."

"We are?" Tony smiled again before running a hand over his face.

"Abby told me that all the time you wasted made her see that she should stop fooling around and get herself together."

"She told you that?" Tony asked somewhat aggravated as it hadn't really been Abby's story to tell after all.

"Sure," Tali shrugged. "Nothing wrong about it. Plus, I love little Pete and Cedric."

"Yeah, she's got some great kids," Tony agreed, thinking about the two little nerds he usually babysat on Thursdays on his day off. "And when did you get so smart?"

"Always was," Tali grinned and then made a gum bubble that promptly popped into her face.

"Maybe not _that_ smart," Tony joked as he watched his daughter get rid of the gum on her face only to plop it back into her mouth.

"Are Pete and Ceddy coming over tomorrow?" she asked now, apparently realizing that it was already Wednesday.

"Sure are. You know you don't have to be here when they are, right? I know you're all grown up and all."

"No problem, Abba," Tali smiled. "They're great at computer games. Plus, Victoria said she wanted to come, too, if that's alright."

"Sure thing. Just have Breena or Jimmy call me to make sure she's allowed to come."

"Why shouldn't she?" Tali asked scrunching up her face in confusion.

"Oh, I don't know. How about last time the two of you were having a slumber party and she forgot to tell her parents?"

"I didn't know she didn't tell them," Tali defended herself but Tony held up a hand to stop her.

"I know that. That's why you didn't get to do the chores around the house, remember? Just make sure you always tell us where you are, alright?"

"I _know_ ," Tali sighed and Tony couldn't blame her.

They must have had that particular conversation about a million times already. Tony didn't know if he was being over-protective or if it was normal to feel queasy whenever he didn't know exactly where his daughter was. Maybe it was the fact that he had almost lost her in that fire, too. He would have lost her without even having known of her. While that fact still stung after all these years, he also knew that Ziva would have told him eventually. He was sure of that and he didn't hold a grudge against her. It certainly hadn't been her best decision but then again, maybe it hadn't been his best decision to leave her in Israel, either. But it had worked out for the best – or whatever best was when a child loses her mother so early.  
Tony, of course, knew what it felt like but at least he had been able to get to know his mother, had memories to lean on while Tali didn't remember one single thing about her mother. It made Tony sad just thinking about it but he did his best to tell her as many stories about her mother as possible.

Thinking about that, he realized that they had gotten off track.

"Kiddo, what was it that you wanted to ask if it isn't about your mom?"

"I know how you and Ima got together and all," Tali shrugged, making herself comfortable on the old and worn couch. "I was talking about you and Papa. You never told me the story. I haven't even seen your wedding video. I know there is one because you guys always watch it whenever I'm supposed to be asleep."

"You really want to know?" Tony replied, absent-mindedly playing with the ring on his left hand.

"Sure. Why wouldn't I?"

"Don't want to hurt you, honey," Tony sighed and now really wished that he'd have support for the conversation, but her papa wouldn't be home for another few hours.

"Why would that hurt me?" Tali furrowed a brow and tilted her head a bit to the right to take a closer look at him. "I love him."

"I know," Tony gulped. "It's just that I always think that you'd rather have your mom here, that's all."

"I do," Tali answered softly, casting her eyes away from Tony's for a moment before returning her glance to him. "But that doesn't mean I'm not happy as things are. We've got a great family, you know that, right? Abba?"

"Yeah," Tony nodded, trying to keep the tears at bay.

He didn't even know why he was so touched by that simple statement. It wasn't like he hadn't known or that Tali hadn't ever told her papa that she loved him. It was just that she had never told Tony that she was indeed happy about it all.

"So, can you tell me?"

"Yeah," Tony nodded. "Story time?"

"Story time," Tali nodded as she snuggled into him as Tony brought an arm around her. He sighed contently, realizing that they hadn't had story time in a really long time.

"You know that your papa and I worked together, right?"

"Yeah, he was your boss, right?"

"Yup."


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: Thanks for the feedback on the first chapter. Here comes another one._**

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

"It was in a galaxy far, far away when a prince came to rescue a young lady by the name of Tali."

"Oh god, Abba," Tali laughed and playfully slapped his shoulder. "How long is this going to take?"

"Ever seen _How I met your Mother_ , kiddo?"

"No?" Tali answered and Tony shook his head, vowing to himself to introduce her to the series once she was a little bit older.

"It's about nine seasons long. And that's how long this is going to take."

Tali sighed loudly but Tony wasn't fooled. She secretly was excited about it, he could tell.

"Don't complain now. You asked."

"Can you just start already?"

"Aye aye, Boss," Tony quipped and then sat back, thinking back to how everything had really begun. "He'd been my boss at NCIS for about fifteen years when you came along…"

T _ony didn't know if he should cry, laugh or just shoot himself. Sure, the last one wasn't really an option but at least it would be quiet if he were dead. His head was pounding, either from too much coffee or what seemed like constant crying. Also, he reeked and his clothing hadn't been clean in days. Hell, he didn't even know when he had last showered. He just didn't have the time. Ever. He hadn't talked to a grown-up in forever and he had no idea how to talk to his child either._

 _Somehow it had been much easier when they had still been in Israel and then Paris. Tali had been in a better mood somehow, but now that they were back home – a home that still only was Tony's home but not Tali's yet – things had changed. He felt like he was losing control, had no idea how to console her at nights when she woke up screaming from what had to be terrible nightmares, had no idea how to get her to eat the things he gave her and had no idea how in all of this he was supposed to function as a person, let alone how to be a father._

 _Right at that moment he was kneeling next to her bed, trying to shush her as he softly tucked a stray lock behind her ear. It was three o'clock in the morning and he had still got to get a minute of sleep. His apartment was a mess and as much as Senior was trying to help, he was getting old and wasn't quite up for the task either. He did the best he could, Tony could tell and he appreciated it, but it was merely a drop in the bucket._

 _He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and for a second he wondered who in the world would call him at this time of the night. He didn't bother to check it though. He never did these days, it would just take away time from consoling Tali. If it just wouldn't be so hard. On a good day, Tali would be the world's sweetest kid, smiling at strangers that crossed their path in the park and having fun with Senior when they played silly games. She was happy when she was tickled and hugged by her father. But those days had gotten rare and in between and Tony had no idea how in the world he was supposed to make her feel better._

 _It was times like these that made him hate Ziva. If she had just told him that she was pregnant, if she had just let him be there for the first two years of Tali's life, all of this wouldn't have happened. Ziva wouldn't be dead and even if she was, at least Tony would know how to soothe his daughter. Deep down, he knew that he didn't hate Ziva, he had loved her, still did, he supposed, she was the mother of his daughter after all. He had tried to move on from her before and it had never really worked out. His broken up relationship with Zoe was testament of that. Just thinking about her hurt him so much he wanted to cry right along with Tali, but he had come to terms with her death. There was nothing to be done about it anymore. Kort was dead and Tali safe. All he could do for Ziva now was to make sure that the kid would grow up as shielded as possible and that nobody hurt her._

 _It was all he lived for at the moment and yet it seemed to be the only thing that he couldn't give her._

 _He felt a lone tear run down his cheek and hoped that Tali wouldn't see it in the dark room. It surely wouldn't help her wind down. How was she supposed to anyway when Tony barely managed to give her a smile because he was too exhausted to do anything? He hated himself for not being chipper, for not being able to cheer her up but he simply couldn't do it. Didn't know how, either._

 _"Get up, DiNozzo," a voice bellowed at him and Tony nearly jumped up from where he was sitting on the floor._

 _"We got a new case, Boss?" he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes sleepily._

 _Only when Gibbs' smirk came into vision, he realized that he was at home and he hadn't gotten a new case in months as he wasn't an agent anymore._

 _"Yeah," the older man still answered though. "I've got a new case for you. Check your goddamn phone once in a while, will you? And go take a shower. You smell."_

 _Tony didn't say anything as he watched Gibbs take Tali out of her bed and propped her up on his hip. Like every time he was talking to kids, his face had gone soft, his voice somewhat quieter and it apparently did the trick because Tali's face suddenly lit up and her arms came around his neck as she hugged him closer. For a moment Tony felt a pang of jealousy erupt inside of him but it faded quickly. He knew that Tali did the same thing with him, smiled at him the same way. He was just too tired to think straight, that was all. He chanced a glance at his watch and realized that it was only seven o'clock in the morning._

 _"What are you doing here?" he finally said, trying to suppress a yawn._

 _"Checking up on the princess," Gibbs shrugged, not looking at him._

 _Tony stared at him for a moment and felt something well up inside of him. He couldn't identify it at first but then suddenly - his hands had already balled themselves into fists - he realized what it was. He was angry._

 _"Don't you think I can take care of her myself?" he almost shouted, causing Tali to look up at him with wide eyes._

 _"DiNozzo," Gibbs sighed as he looked at him with a frown on his face. "Keep it down. Of course, you can. Just wanted to make sure everything is okay. You didn't answer our calls."_

 _Tony took a step backwards at that, realizing that he'd been an idiot. The anger disappeared as suddenly as it had come and he ran a tired hand over his face. Had Gibbs actually been worried about them? And had he actually just admitted it, too?_

 _"Gibbs, I'm…," he started but the older man interrupted him with a shake of his head, effectively cutting off the unwanted apology._

 _"Just go take a shower. I'll look after her, okay?"_

 _"You don't have to, I'm…"_

 _"Fine, I know. Just a shower. Breathe. I'm here."_

 _Tony wanted to say something but Gibbs had already turned back to Tali, apparently paying him no attention whatsoever, so the younger man just sighed and then actually turned to take the ordered shower._

 _Once the water had turned warm, Tony stepped into the shower and let out a loud sigh when the jet hit his back. He felt his tiredness fade away a bit, felt the tension in his shoulder ease up. God, he hated when Gibbs was right… which he had almost always been. Tony shook his head and snorted. How had the guy known that he couldn't handle it anymore? How had he known when to show up? It was probably just a coincidence, nothing more but Tony didn't know if he was happy or sad about Gibbs showing up. He was happy to see him again, he hadn't since his last day of work but at the same time he was sad because it didn't seem like Gibbs thought he was able to take care of his own daughter. Gibbs had known that something was wrong, had known that Tali was too much all of a sudden, had known that Tony was about to break down._

 _That thought stopped his train of thinking as he let the water rush down his face. Had he really been about to break down? With a rush of heat to his cheeks he realized that he probably had been. Still was. He had no idea how to handle raising a child on his own – and frankly his dad wouldn't be a great help despite his willingness, he hadn't even managed to raise his own back in the day. Tony let himself sink to the bottom of the shower, the water still cascading down on him. He didn't know what was up all of a sudden but he didn't seem to be able to hold himself upright. Tears were mixing with water as they ran down his face and he could hear himself sob, even after the water had long turned cold. He had no clue how long he had been sitting there without even thinking about anything before he picked himself up slowly, shut off the water and dried himself off._

 _He didn't want to look into the mirror, too afraid of what he would see, so he dressed quickly and then with a deep breath to control his inner turmoil stepped out of the bathroom and into the real world. A world where the only person who mattered would still be crying, would still be missing her mother._

 _When he walked into the living room though, everything was quiet – and was that food he smelled? Furrowing a brow, he walked into his kitchen and then stopped dead when he saw Tali sitting in her booster seat, calmly sucking on a pacifier she had resented over the last couple of days while she watched Gibbs cook what seemed to be eggs and bacon._

 _"Gibbs," Tony started and then cleared his throat as he realized that the crying had made him raucous. "You didn't have to…"_

 _"Shut it and sit down. It's nearly finished."_

 _So Tony shut up and sat down. Gibbs placed the food onto the table only a minute afterwards and then proceeded to give Tali her own food while he gestured to Tony to start eating. If he saw that Tony had been crying, he didn't comment and for once, the younger man didn't care. The food was edible and the apartment was finally quiet. And in this quiet he could maybe convince himself that things would turn out okay._


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Always mean the world to me._

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

"So you were hopelessly in over your head?" Tali interrupted him with a slightly confused expression on her face.

"Oh yeah," Tony nodded. "It was all new to me, I had never even babysat before in my life and then you came along and while I loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you, I really was kind of overwhelmed."

"Plus you were too proud to ask for help," Tali stated and shook her head. "And you tell me I'm stubborn."

"You are. You got that from me… and from your mom… and Papa," Tony laughed. "It's a miracle we ever got any work done."

Tali gave him another smile and was about to say something when the beep of her cell phone interrupted her. Tony inwardly sighed, knowing that story time would come to an early close. To his surprise though, Tali made no move to even look at it.

"Come on, Abba," she said instead. "Go on talking."

*GT*

"Hey," Tony suddenly stopped eating as his glance fell at his watch. Damn, had he really been in the shower for almost an hour? "Shouldn't you be at work?"

"It's Sunday, DiNozzo," Gibbs replied and raised an eyebrow as if he was questioning Tony's sanity.

"Like that ever stopped us from going into work," Tony attempted to joke to make light of the situation and it apparently worked because Gibbs' expression softened ever so slightly. "How are the newbies by the way?"

"They're alright," Gibbs shrugged.

"As good as me?"

"They never are," Gibbs said, his glance fixed on Tali again. "They never are."

Tony stopped eating once more at the seldom praise and for a moment he felt the tiniest bit better – that was until Tali started to dump her food all over her seat and Gibbs' shirt. Tony jumped up, bringing himself into his kid's vision.

"Stop that," he said softly as he held her hands still.

"Abba," the girl just said, clapping her hands together when Tony let go.

"Don't get Gibbs here all dirty," he said, pointing at the older man behind him.

"Dirty," Tali clapped again, sending another drop of her mash into Gibbs' direction and causing Tony to groan and Gibbs to chuckle.

"He'll get mad," Tony continued and then Gibbs stepped in.

"Oh yeah," he said playfully. "I turn into a monster when I'm dirty."

"Monster?" Tali checked back, her eyes as big as saucers.

"Oh yeah," Gibbs repeated, "The mean tickle monster."

That being said he started to tickle her mercilessly until Tali released loud shrieks of laughter. Tony watched them in awe and felt his heart grow a little lighter at the sight. He sat back down again and proceeded to eat his breakfast, not sure when he had last eaten at all.

"You not going to eat anything?" he asked once the other two had calmed down.

"Already did," Gibbs shrugged, "when you were in the shower."

"Oh," Tony just made, averting his eyes from him. "Sorry."

"It's alright," Gibbs answered, mysteriously not saying anything about the apology. "You smelled like you needed it."

That caused Tony to snort and shake his head. "That's probably true."

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Gibbs asked as he carefully gave Tali her spoon back.

"Uh," Tony answered slightly taken aback. "What I _wanted_ to do was to give this place a good scrub and then go to the park with the kid. But I've planned that for the last couple days. So who knows? Tali probably," he tilted his head to look at the girl. "So, what _is_ on the agenda, Tali?"

"Abba!" she just shrieked before she gave him a broad smile.

"Yeah, I'm here, kiddo," Tony sighed and ran a hand through his still wet hair.

"I am, too," Gibbs joined the conversation, fixing Tony with a hard glare.

"Gibbs, you don't have to…" the younger man started but was cut off by his former boss.

"I want to. How about I'll entertain the kid while you're cleaning up and then we'll head off into that park of yours. How does that sound?"

Tony stared at him wide-eyed and didn't respond for a couple of moments, not knowing if he was more confused about the proposal itself or about the fact that Gibbs had actually asked.

"Good?" he answered.

"Thought so."

*GT*

Tony took what felt like the first fresh breath since they had gotten home from Paris. They were walking along a path in the park, Tony pushing Tali's stroller and Gibbs right next to them. They had mostly been quiet for the last couple of minutes but Tony didn't mind. It was nice out, quiet and Gibbs seemed to have realized that, too. Not that the guy ever talked much anyway.

"Boat not missing you?" he finally asked into the silence, unable to keep quiet despite himself.

"Almost finished," Gibbs grunted.

"That was fast."

"Yeah, well, with Fornell in rehabilitation and you abroad, I didn't exactly have much distraction."

"Huh."

For the first time that day, Tony really looked at the older man and while he seemed fine on the outside, Tony couldn't help but realize that something about him seemed different. He couldn't put a finger on what it was exactly though.

"You alright?" he asked, almost expecting a head slap for an answer but Gibbs actually replied.

"Me? Yeah, I'm fine, DiNozzo," he said and snorted.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," and now he actually did seem annoyed which instantly made Tony feel a bit better.

Silence reigned afterwards again until they stopped at a playground. Luckily one of the swing sets was free for them to use, so they placed Tali in it, pushing her from side to side. She was laughing riotously, her smile broadening every time Tony pushed her again. Tony couldn't help but smile along with her as he suddenly realized that she had his mother's smile. He hadn't looked at it like that, but he did have one picture of his mom as a child and was smiling just sweetly as Tali was just doing.

Once more, he felt emotion well up inside of him but he gulped it down. It wouldn't be the best thing to cry in a public park in the presence of Gibbs nonetheless. So he just kept on smiling at his daughter. When his glance fell on the older man who was standing a bit off to the right, he felt his heart grow even heavier. While he was smiling, too, his eyes seemed far away even if he made occasional silly faces to crack Tali up. He wondered what was up with his former boss but then again, maybe he was just remembering his time with Kelly.

When he spoke again, though, Tony realized that his thoughts had drifted into another direction.

"She really does look a lot like Ziva," he said quietly.

"I know," Tony replied. "Sometimes it hurts just to look at her."

"You miss her?"

"Every day," Tony said, momentarily not pushing the swing anymore as he stared at the older man. "It's been easier when we were away but now that we're here, Tali's so moody and I just wished that Ziva would have told me, would be here to give me advice. It's just so hard without her, you know? Half of the time I don't know what I'm doing."

"Why didn't you call?" Gibbs asked, stepping towards him to give Tali another push as Tony had neglected that part completely.

"I don't know," Tony averted his glance to look at his feet instead. "I wanted to do this on my own."

"And you didn't want to bother anybody."

"Yeah, maybe," he shrugged.

"Tony," Gibbs coaxed the younger man to look at him by using his given name. "Tali could never be a bother, you hear me? _You_ are never a bother."

"It's just," Tony started haltingly, afraid of his voice betraying him. "I need to figure this out on my own. She's my daughter and I've already missed so much… but… sometimes I just think that I wasn't cut out to be a dad. I can barely calm her down long enough to take a breath. My apartment's a mess and I can barely think straight. What if I'm doing everything wrong?"

"Tony. Calm down. Have you seen the way Tali looks at you? She loves you, so you're doing _something_ right."

Tony snorted and then took a deep breath. He was on the verge of tears again and he hated himself for being so emotional especially when Gibbs was the definition of stoic calm as usual.

"DiNozzo, listen. You're doing fine. I know it doesn't look like it right now but you're going to get this under control. Because you're you. You're Anthony DiNozzo, Very Special Agent and now Very Special Father. You'll do great. Just ask for help when you need it. Just call Palmer. You do realize that his daughter is about the same age, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"We all want to help. If you checked your phone once in a while, you'd know. Rules still apply."

That caused Tony to laugh despite himself.

"Hell of a pep talk, Boss."

"Not your boss anymore."

"Boss," Tali interrupted them joyfully as she pointed at Gibbs from where she was sitting on the unmoving swing as they had both forgotten to pay any attention to pushing. "Boss."

"I think you still are," Tony couldn't help but grin at the older man before he bent down and looked Tali in the eyes. "You want to see Boss again?"

"Yes!" she cried out, reaching out her arms to Gibbs who picked her up with a smile on his lips.

"That's good, kiddo, because I'm going to be around."

Tony turned to look at him again, feeling his eyes sting once more. "You mean that?"

"Yeah, DiNozzo," and now he sounded exasperated again. "Didn't I just tell you?"

"Thanks."

Gibbs just nodded before he propped Tali up on his hip to carry her back to the stroller but not before he reached out his free hand to give Tony's shoulder a squeeze.

"Never leave a man behind, remember?"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry, got sucked into work this week, so this has taken a bit longer than I thought. Thanks for the reviews!**

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

"I really called him boss?" Tali chuckled.

"Oh yeah, for quite some time actually. But so did I," Tony answered and shrugged. "I think he kind of liked it."

"Yeah, that I believe," Tali laughed. "Little did he know that he soon would be anything but a boss."

Tony let out a strangled laugh as he shook his head. "Just don't tell him that."

"You think he didn't get the memo yet?"

"Not sure."

*GT*

"Ima!"

Tony jolted awake and nearly fell from the couch, looking around with wide eyes until he realized where he was. He hurried to get up, almost switching on the light in the living room before he thought better of it as he realized that he hadn't been the only one who'd been sleeping on the couch in a more than awkward position. He chanced a glance back and only just suppressed a chuckle as Gibbs let out another quiet snore. He was sitting on the couch, his head knocked back on the backrest. Apparently he had fallen asleep watching the movie just like Tony had. Hell, he couldn't even remember what exactly they had been watching.

Right at that moment Tali let out another cry and Tony hurried to get to her, hoping that she wouldn't wake up Gibbs, too. He nearly stumbled over one of Tali's toys on the ground and bit back a curse as he picked it up. His apartment was still a mess but at least it was clean – thanks to Gibbs who had offered to watch Tali in the afternoon the day before.

Now though, there was an entirely different crisis to be averted. He quietly entered Tali's makeshift room which was really his own bedroom with a divider placed in the middle and saw Tali sitting upright in the bed, staring at him with big eyes, tears rushing down her face.

"Hey kiddo," he said soothingly, picking her up. "Bad dream?"

"Red," she answered haltingly as he laid her head on his shoulder. "Hot."

"Aw, kiddo," Tony whispered as he rubbed her back, wincing as he realized that she was probably talking about the fire. "Everything's fine. Just a dream, I'm here."

"Abba," she said weakly, snuggling into him, her eyes already drooping again. "Abba."

"Right here, honey. I'm right here."

Sadly, this had become routine already. At least twice a week, Tali would wake up like this, breathing heavily and being afraid. Tony had mastered calming her down enough to get her back to sleep but if the dreams wouldn't stop soon, he'd have to do something against them. Maybe he should talk to Ducky about them. He'd talked to Gibbs but he had said that they would disappear over time. Tony fervently hoped that he was right.

"And you say you're a bad father," a whisper rose him from his thoughts.

Tony turned around and saw Gibbs leaning against the doorframe with a lopsided smile on his lips. He looked as exhausted as Tony felt but still managed to pierce him with his blue eyes.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you up."

"Was probably for the best," Gibbs chuckled as he craned his neck. "My back's already killing me. Think I'm going to head home."

Tony checked his watch and realized that it was already two o'clock.

"You could take the bed… or the couch," Tony shrugged. "Enough space."

"You sure?" Gibbs checked back, rubbing his neck.

"Of course."

"I'll take the couch then. Will head to work from here then."

"Sure thing, boss."

"Gibbs," the older man grunted as he turned around, closing the door behind him.

*GT*

Tony watched Gibbs turn on the couch and frown in his sleep before he opened his eyes blearily. He almost let out a laugh. It was as if the older man was a hound dog for coffee or something.

"Coffee?" he asked as Gibbs sat up.

He just nodded as if the guy couldn't speak before having a dose of his java first thing in the morning. He took the offered cup, took a sip and then nodded approvingly.

"Since when do you have the good stuff?" he asked.

Tony just shrugged as he poured himself a cup, too. "Knew you'd want some one of these days."

Gibbs had been around a lot after all the last couple of weeks and while he hadn't stayed the night before, it had probably only been a matter of time. It was weird how normal it had become having him there.

Tali had taken to him fast, loved it when he told her stories about princesses and evil kings. Sometimes Tony wondered if he had told the same stories to Kelly, too. The thought always made him think just how much it had to hurt the older man to see Tali grow up when his own daughter never had the chance. He never said anything, never let anything on, but Tony knew that it must have cost him a lot in the beginning to come here. Now though, Tony was sure that the other man was enjoying himself, loved the little girl – otherwise he wouldn't be here as often as he was.

"Palmer coming over today?" Gibbs asked now, still looking too tired to communicate properly.

"Yeah. He's bringing Victoria on a playdate."

"They like each other?"

"Sure," Tony shrugged once more. "Though Victoria got mad the last time because Tali refused to give her bunny to her."

Gibbs shook his head, smiling ever so slightly. "Kids. She'll have forgotten about it by now."

"Anyway," Tony continued. "I'm cooking for Breena and Jimmy tonight. You free to join us?"

"Yeah."

"7.30."

"As long as there isn't a new case, I'm in."

"Don't jinx it," Tony grinned. "You know how these things go."

"Sure do, DiNozzo. I'm going to head out then," he said, giving the empty mug back to Tony.

With that he was gone and as soon as the door fell shut behind him, Tali came waddling towards Tony.

"Boss go?"

"Yeah, but he'll be back tonight."

Her eyes lit up at that and for a moment Tony felt the urge to pray to any god that would listen that Gibbs would stick around forever if she loved him only half as much as her expression was telling him.

*GT*

"… and then she just grabs his hand and makes the choo-choo noises herself," Tony chuckled as he finished his story about how Tali had made Gibbs play train with her.

Jimmy and Breena were laughing along with him, mindful of the two sleeping girls in the next room.

"You've been here a lot," Jimmy stated now, looking at Gibbs.

Gibbs just shrugged as if it was the most ordinary thing on earth to help his former agent raise his daughter.

"He's been the biggest help," Tony jumped in. "Wouldn't know how to handle any of that alone."

"You'd do just fine, DiNozzo," Gibbs mumbled.

"But not great," Tony teased as he quickly bumped his shoulder against Gibbs'.

He hadn't thought any of it and neither had Gibbs apparently because he just kept on eating his lasagna – but Jimmy had raised an eyebrow as he glanced sideways to Breena who just grinned.

"What?" Tony asked blatantly.

"Nothing," Breena replied, still grinning. "It's just nice to see that you guys get along so well."

"We always did," Gibbs said uncharacteristically.

"You sure did," Jimmy chimed in, laughing out loud. "Between all the growls and head slaps I'm sure you were doing just fine."

Tony stared at him with wide eyes before he turned to look at Gibbs who was giving Palmer an ice-cold look.

"I-I didn't mean," Palmer tried to backpedal, apparently having realized that he was still talking to his kind of boss here. "I-I just…"

"Relax, Palmer," Gibbs shook his head and chuckled.

"Just playing you," Tony laughed. "Besides, those head slaps always helped me focus. Right, Gibbs?"

"Sure did."

Breena just shook her head but remained silent as she kept on eating the food in front of her. There was a moment of awkward silence before Tony asked Jimmy about the latest Marvel movie, effectively steering the conversation away from the awkwardness.

Tony didn't understand what was so weird about his and Gibbs' relationship nowadays but he then realized that it was probably not too clear to just anybody that they've always had a special bond that went back to when they had first met in Baltimore. To this day, Gibbs remained the only one who knew about Danny, his crooked former partner. Their relationship had started right there and it had only gotten deeper over the last sixteen years. That they had easily managed to take the step from colleagues to close friends might have come as a surprise to an outsider but surely not to them.

Luckily the Palmers didn't press the subject, so they managed to have a nice evening without further awkwardness which in itself was a miracle considering the fact that Jimmy was the awkwardness in person.

"Nice evening," Gibbs commented as he cleared the table after Jimmy, Breena and Victoria had gone home.

"It was," Tony agreed.

They cleaned up in silence - they'd done it a lot of times before after all and it wasn't until Gibbs poured himself the last cup of coffee for the night that he spoke up. He was leaning against the kitchen counter and was fixing Tony with a speculative look.

"Am I here too much?"

Tony looked up at that, raising his eyebrow at the outrageous question.

"Palmer get to you?" he asked, his voice quiet.

"No," Gibbs shook his head. "I can see his point though."

"And since when do you give a damn about what other people say? Much less Palmer. I want you here."

"Okay," Gibbs just answered and shrugged before he took another sip from his coffee.

He didn't say more but Tony was able to see some tension leave his shoulders as he sagged against the counter. It wasn't like Gibbs to ask questions like this and Tony felt the need to elaborate – he wasn't quite sure what he wanted to say exactly, he just wanted Gibbs to know that he was more than welcome here – but right at that moment he was able to hear Tali cry over the baby phone and he let out a sigh. With one last glance at a still uncomfortable looking Gibbs, he left the kitchen to look after his daughter.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for the longer wait this time. The shooting in Orlando had me feeling down all week and my kid was asking all the wrong kinds of questions... anyway, hope you'll like this. Thanks for your reviews. You guys are awesome.**

 **Chapter Five**

"So Jimmy knew before you did?"

"Nah, he didn't know anything," Tony replied, taking a sip from his long cold coffee. "I asked him years later if he had suspected but he just said that they were surprised we got along so well… and that they were glad that your papa seemed happy again."

"Has he always been sad back then?" Tali asked, her eyes full of sorrow for her father before she quickly looked away from Tony's searching eyes, a gesture she had borrowed from Gibbs.

Sometimes Tony was in complete awe of how much of Jethro he could see in her. Her posture, always vigilant, or the way she half smiled whenever she wanted to hide her smile, but couldn't quite manage – or the way she sometimes lovingly ordered Abby's kids around. With a smile, he finally answered, trying to make the sadness in her eyes disappear.

"Nah, he wasn't sad… but never quite happy either. He was content, I guess?"

"That doesn't make any sense, Abba."

"No, it does. Like you're happy now but you'd probably be happier if your mom was here."

Tali furrowed a brow as she thought it over before she subtly shook her head. "I guess you're right. But I wouldn't have Papa then."

"Oh, he'd still be around."

"But he wouldn't be Papa."

"Probably not."

 ***GD***

"… and they lived happily ever after."

Tony watched Gibbs whisper the last words of the fairytale before he gave the already sleeping girl a kiss on the forehead, pulled the sheets up to her chin and then quietly got up, stopping when his glance reached his former agent who was leaning against the doorframe.

"How long have you been standing there?" he asked once they had made their way out of earshot.

"Since Cinderella lost her shoe," Tony grinned, rubbing a tired hand over his face. "You're awfully good at bedtime stories."

"Years of practice," Gibbs replied quickly and apparently without thinking because as soon as the words had left his mouth, his expression clouded.

Tony bit his lip, trying to figure out whether or not he should press the subject because deep down he was curious about so many things that centered on Kelly, but he'd always been too afraid to ask. Now, though, Gibbs let out a sigh as he plopped down on the couch and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Hensel and Gretel was Kelly's favorite," he started slowly. "I think it was because she loved the gingerbread house. I would have to tell her the story every night when I was home. She used to send me drawings of that house."

"You still have them?" Tony asked carefully as he sat down on piano stool.

"The drawings?" Gibbs checked back, his look seemingly far away. At Tony's nod, he shrugged. "Yeah. Box in the attic."

"You sometimes look at them?" Tony continued quietly, afraid of spooking Gibbs and making him shut down again.

"On Kelly's birthday," Gibbs nodded before he cleared his throat loudly. "Actually," he then went on, his eyes in the present again. "When I'm at home, I could go through some of her toys stored up there. I'm sure, there's still stuff that Tali would like."

"Gibbs, you don't have to…," Tony started but stopped when the older man shook his head.

"No, they're no use if nobody's using them. Should have gotten rid of them a long time ago. This way they'd still serve a purpose."

"I'm sure Tali will love them."

Gibbs nodded once, averting his eyes from Tony to stare at his hands instead. Tony had the fleeting sensation of wanting to hug the man in front of him. He heard Tali fuss over the baby phone but she settled down again, so he stayed seated, wondering if Gibbs would share more. There was silence for a few long moments as Tony studied the older man. He looked rather relaxed, something that he hadn't seen on him in a really long time. Why he was relaxed though, was a mystery to Tony. He rarely spent time at his own home, either being at work or helping Tony with Tali. But whenever Tali was mentioned, his face lit up as if she was the sunshine of his life. With a sinking heart, Tony realized that maybe she actually was just that.

"Hey Gibbs?" Tony finally spoke up, startling him ever so slightly. "Would you have called if it hadn't been for Tali?"

Gibbs turned to look at him, his face open and oddly vulnerable as he answered.

"Of course."

"You sure?" Tony couldn't help but ask because he just couldn't hold himself back, even though everything within him screamed at him to let it go, to let the topic drop in order to avoid a fight. He didn't want to fight. But it had been bugging him for over a year now. He had to talk about it. He was Tony DiNozzo after all.

"Yeah."

"Because you barely talked to me this last year."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Gibbs replied sharply, his brows furrowed, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm talking about how you always paired me up with Bishop, how you never invited me over to steaks anymore. How you never gave me more than an order when you talked to me."

Gibbs subtly shook his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose before he looked up again, the blue in his eyes bright even in the dim light.

"I was giving you space."

"Space for what?"

"For whatever," Gibbs shrugged. "To make you see that you could do it alone. That you were able to teach your own probies."

"Why?"

"Why?" Gibbs let out a bark of a laugh in disbelief. "DiNozzo, you were ready for your own team years ago."

"But I didn't want to leave."

"Yeah, you did," Gibbs said quietly.

"I never would have left if it weren't for Tali. Gibbs, you know that."

"I do because you were afraid of change. And that's not a bad thing. I don't like change either."

"No," Tony cut him off. "I would've stayed because I belonged there. With you, the team, the agency. It's all I ever had."

"Even harder to leave it all behind."

"So, you were trying to make me leave?" Tony asked in disbelief, getting up now and pacing around the room. "You wanted me to leave?"

"No," Gibbs replied vehemently. "Of course not. But you weren't satisfied anymore. You wanted more. You wanted something else. And that wasn't the team. You wanted this. A family."

"I never wanted this," Tony whispered, stopping for a moment as he realized what he had just said. "I didn't mean…"

"I know what you mean. You didn't want Ziva to die, you didn't want to have to raise the kid on your own. Hell, I think you even hate Ziva fractionally because she didn't tell you Tali even existed. I get it. But that's not how this works."

Tony remained silent for a moment or two, feeling anger boiling up inside of him and at the same time he felt like crying.

"Oh, you think you're so smart," he finally said, anger having won the inner battle as he sharply answered, even if he still kept his voice down. "Telling me how life is not fair and how you wanted me to have a family. You know what? The team was my family, too. You were my family. How dare you push me away from that?"

"I was doing no such thing," Gibbs was standing now, too. "I wanted to show that there is more out there than just work. You weren't happy anymore and if you say you were, you're a goddamn liar."

"I _was_ happy," Tony said.

"That's because you didn't know any better."

"But you do?" Tony actually laughed. "Boat and bourbon aren't exactly a life, Gibbs."

"I know," Gibbs' voice was getting louder now. "Don't you think I know that? But I had it before with Shannon and Kelly. You didn't. You didn't know what it felt like coming home to what is yours. You had no fucking clue."

"That doesn't… you shouldn't have," Tony spluttered, feeling the tears trying to spill over again. "You had no right."

"Tough," Gibbs spit back and for a second the younger man wondered what had the guy on edge like that.

Hell, how had they even gotten here? Tony hadn't meant to attack the man who had helped him so much these last couple of months. Had helped him these last couple of years, really. But he was so angry and he didn't even know why exactly.

"You think I wanted this?" he finally continued. "You think I wanted a family like this? I love Tali with everything I have. But I didn't want it like that. I didn't want to miss her first two years. I didn't want to leave NCIS. Fuck, I didn't want any of this. I didn't want my fucking boss to play daddy for my daughter."

He watched Gibbs sit down, his face turning red and then suddenly pale. It was only then that Tony realized what he had just said. He stopped pacing and wanted to apologize, wanted to reach out to the older man but when Gibbs looked up at him, Tony was lost for words. He had never seen him like that. He was getting paler by the second, his eyes bright, his lips forming a thin, tight line. He was seething and at the same time he looked so broken that Tony was sure he must have said the worst possible thing. Before he could apologize though, Gibbs had stood up, had grabbed his jacket that had been draped over the backrest of the couch and was on his way out the door.

Just when Tony thought he'd leave without another word, without another look at him, he turned around, the anger having vanished from his features. But it didn't make it better – he was only looking more torn.

"Okay," Gibbs said barely above a whisper.

With that he was gone, leaving Tony standing there, staring after him. He replayed what he had just said in his head, trying to figure out what exactly was supposed to be 'okay'.

Then – he felt his heart sink.

God, why had he said the daddy thing? He knew that Gibbs had just tried to help him out, had worked wonders actually and this was the way Tony was thanking him? What the hell was wrong with him?

Before he could dwell on it for too long though, he heard Tali let out a frightened shriek and he hurried to get to her. He picked her up and rocked her as he tried to calm her down.

"Pa?" she let out in between a sob as he cradled her head on his chest.

"I'm right here," Tony said soothingly but Tali just shook her head.

"Pa!" she exclaimed. "Boss," she clarified and Tony felt himself get colder insider.

Goddamn, what had he done?


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Thanks for your reviews! :) Here's another chapter.**_

 **Chapter Six**

"What the hell, Dad?" Tali exclaimed and Tony winced as she usually only used 'Dad' when she was really upset with him.

"Language, young lady," he chided as he held up his hands. "I know I was an ass, okay?"

"Language," Tali replied, grinning at him. "That's a dollar into the jar."

"Same goes for you."

"But really, Abba. What were you thinking?"

"I don't know, honey," Tony answered truthfully. "I was in a really bad place that day, okay? I know I shouldn't have said that but in the end it helped us along."

"How so?"

"Well…"

 ***GT***

"How many more?" Tony groaned as he let his head fall back against the headrest of McGee's car.

"Only two," the new Senior Field Agent answered, grinning at him. "How long does your dad babysit Tali?"

"As long as this takes," Tony sighed. "God, I didn't know apartment hunting was this stressful."

"Tell me about it," McGee gave back – he had only just searched for his own a little over a year ago. "Do you already have someone to take your old one?"

"Yeah, few people here and there. It'll sell," Tony shrugged. "Didn't think I'd let go of it that easily and with no hard feelings. But it's really not practical for Tali and me."

"Yeah. Took us forever to find something suitable for both Delilah's wheelchair and a possible kid in the future."

"How's that going by the way?" Tony asked cheekily, not expecting an answer but was surprised when Tim shrugged.

"We're trying. No luck yet, but we've got time."

"Wouldn't want to be pregnant on your wedding day anyway."

"Oh, not like it's going to show in mere four weeks," McGee grinned once more. "But yeah."

"Tali's really excited about it. Since the moment I mentioned dancing, she's over the moon about your wedding."

"Good. Heard that Victoria thinks the same way. They'll make a cute couple on the dance floor."

"I'll have my camera ready." Tony looked out the window for a few moments, trying to remember where the next apartment was. "Where're we headed again?"

"Seriously, DiNozzo," McGee chuckled. "You're talking like I'm the one who's looking for an apartment. Alexandria. Should be really close to Gibbs' actually."

"Right," Tony nodded, already deciding not to take that one. Far too close to home. "How is he by the way?"

"Gibbs?"

"Yeah."

"Same old. Maybe a bit quieter," McGee shrugged as he took the right highway exit.

"Quieter? How's that possible?"

"Strictly business lately. Not that he's mean or anything but he's a bit distanced. Why are you asking? Thought he was at your place a lot?"

"Emphasis on the past tense here."

"What happened?"

"I've been an idiot," Tony said quietly. "Said some things I didn't mean and you know how he is with apologies. Hasn't been around for three weeks or so."

"I'm sure it's not that bad, Tony," McGee said as he pulled into a parking space in front of a nice looking apartment building.

"Oh, it was," Tony almost whispered. "Don't know what got into me."

"Then go over and apologize. He's not your boss anymore. Work rules don't apply. I'm sure Tali already misses him."

"She's heart broken," Tony answered.

"Then get over yourself and visit him," McGee said with such force that Tony actually leaned back away from him.

"Woah, Probie."

"Don't probie me. You know I'm right."

"Alright, alright, I'll think about it," Tony said, raising his hands. "Don't be so bossy, Mr. SFA."

"Good," McGee grinned again but his eyes still remained serious as he continued. "Don't want any fights at my wedding. You got that?"

"Yes, McGee."

*GD*

A couple of hours later, Tony unlocked the door to his apartment, tired beyond belief and actually disappointed in himself. Of course, he had caved. Of course, he had fallen in love with the apartment near Gibbs' house at first sight. It was just perfect. Big enough so that Tali could have her own room, big enough so that he could bring his piano and still have his plan to install a projector to watch movies fulfilled. And all of that for a reasonable price. He had had no choice but to take it right away.

He had looked forward to a quiet evening with Tali but was disappointed when two long arms pulled him into a fierce hug almost immediately.

"Tony," Abby squeezed him tightly. "How was the apartment hunt?"

"Fine," Tony mumbled. "Got one - over in Alexandria."

"Oh cool," Abby beamed.

"What are you doing here?"

"I called Senior up, asking if I could kidnap your kid for a few hours to go dress shopping for Timmy's wedding."

"You find something?"

"Tali!" Abby cried out. "Do the catwalk and show your Abba how pretty you are."

Tony turned around and watched Tali run towards him in a beautiful sky blue dress. She looked more than pretty and he told her so as he picked her up. "You're going to be the most beautiful girl at the whole wedding. Just don't tell Delilah that."

"Okay," Tali giggled and then skidded over towards her granddad who was sitting on the couch looking utterly exhausted.

"You okay there, Dad?" Tony asked as he sat down next to him.

"Just tired, Junior. Forgot how exhausting shopping trips to the mall can be."

"Sorry," Abby grinned. "But I told you, you didn't need to come."

"Wouldn't have missed the evening with my little Tali for anything. But I'm going to head home now."

"Senior going soft in his old age?" Abby grinned when he had closed the door behind him.

"Yeah, he's been great actually," Tony frowned. "It's like he wants to make up for missed time with me. But he's getting old. An afternoon here and there is alright but I don't think he can handle much more."

"He's going to babysit the night of McGee's wedding?"

"Yup. Tali's going to be there for the ceremony and stuff but he'll get her around eight o'clock or something."

"Awesome," Abby grinned. "So shots are not out of the question, right?"

"No, they're obligatory. Who would've thought our little Probie would be the first to marry?"

*GD*

Tony gulped and blinked a couple of times to hold back the tears as he watched both Victoria and Tali walk down the aisle. They had both been chosen to be the ring bearers. Tali had been nervous about dropping the rings but now that she was walking down there she was smiling broadly, clearly enjoying all the eyes on her. Tony continued to watch Tali throughout the ceremony, his heart feeling lighter with every look she stole at him.

He didn't miss, however, the beaming smile she had given Gibbs as she had spotted him in the crowd. He had waved at her and he, too, was smiling but at the same time he seemed sad at her sight and it nearly broke Tony's heart. He hadn't had the guts to pluck up the courage to go over to his house and apologize, had always pushed it away to the next day until the next day was actually the day of McGee's wedding. He had figured that he would just avoid the older man, but looking at Tali now he knew that that had been wishful thinking. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

After they had congratulated the newlyweds, Tali let go of Tony's hand and for the split of a second that Tony didn't know where she was going, he felt his heart constrict at the sudden loss until he realized that she was running towards Gibbs. He picked her up, propped her up on his hip and gave her a soft kiss on the temple.

"Hey kiddo," he said, smiling at her. "You were the best ring bearer in the whole wide world."

"Victoria, too?"

"Yeah, she, too," Gibbs nodded solemnly. "But you're prettier," he stage-whispered into her ear.

"Hey Gibbs," Tony said as he stepped towards them.

"DiNozzo," he replied, his eyes still on Tali, his tone of voice having gotten colder.

"You coming to the reception?"

"Sure," Gibbs said, nodding.

"You dance with me?" Tali said, clapping her hands at the prospect. "You must dance with me."

"I will, I promise."

*GD*

"Come on, Abba," Tali whined, tugging at his hand. "Dance!"

"In a minute, princess," Tony laughed, downing the rest of his red wine.

He shrugged at Abby and her new boyfriend John, signaling them to order him another glass of wine before he let himself dragged away towards the dance floor by his daughter.

"Easy there, princess," he laughed, already feeling a little tipsy. He wasn't used to drinking anymore. He couldn't even remember when he had last drunk a beer.

They swirled around the dancefloor for a few long couple of minutes with Tony more carrying Tali than actually dancing with her. The little girl was squealing with delight and he laughed along with her, feeling like she was actually happy for the first time since he had known her.

"You having fun?" he asked her now and she looked up at him with big brown eyes before she nodded.

"Yes, Abba."

"Good," he just said and wanted to twirl her again when she suddenly stopped dead, her eyes fixed on something behind him before she looked at her father again.

"Can Boss dance, too?"

"Sure, honey," Tony smiled and quickly glanced over his shoulder to see Gibbs, looking sharp in a what seemed to be brand new suit, standing there a little off the dancefloor and watching them with a fond smile on his face. "Just go get him. I'll be at our table, okay?"

"No!" she cried out. "You dance, too."

"You want me to dance with you and Boss?"

"Yes!" she squealed again and before he could answer, she was already off towards the older man who let himself get dragged to the dancefloor, too.

Tali grabbed both of their hands in her own, raising an eyebrow at them as they didn't take each other's free hands immediately.

"Fine," Gibbs mumbled good-naturedly as he grabbed Tony's free hand.

Tony let out a sigh but put a smile upon his face, not wanting to disappoint the kid when she had just seen Gibbs again after what felt like months. They danced like that for a couple of minutes and Tony let Tali's babblings wash over him, not really listening to her. He was suddenly hyperaware of the warmth that was spreading from Gibbs' hand that lay smoothly in his own. He didn't look at him, as his eyes were still fixed on Tali.

It was only when the song changed to a slower one that Tali stopped dancing and just when Tony was about to pick her up and guide her away from the dance floor, Abby walked up towards them, her yellow skull dress matching the color of the sinking sun in the background.

"Tali-Honey," she laughed. "Would you like to dance with me?"

"Yeah," Tali nodded enthusiastically. "Can I?"

"Of course, kiddo."

"We'll just wait over there," Tony pointed to the side but Tali shook her head vehemently.

"You two dance," she said pointing from Gibbs to Tony.

"Honey," Abby giggled. "I don't think they want to dance with each other."

"Why?" Tali asked, her expression clouding over. "You don't like Boss anymore?" she asked, looking at Tony with wide sad eyes.

"Of course, I like him," Tony hurried to reply but Tali didn't seem to be pacified.

"Then dance?" she said so brokenly that Tony knew immediately that they didn't have a choice but to meet her wishes.

"It'll look cute," Abby threw in for good measure with a wink before she took Tali's hand to dance away from them.

"We don't need to…," Tony started, but Gibbs just waved him off.

"It's alright."

"Okay," Tony answered slowly as he took Gibbs' other hand.

The first few steps were a bit awkward as they were both used to being the lead but Tony fell into Gibbs' step soon enough. They didn't look at each other, didn't talk to each other as both of their eyes were glued to Tali who was smiling at them whenever they got back into her eyeshot. After a few minutes, Tony relaxed enough in Gibbs' touch that he dared to look at him only to be surprised when Gibbs returned the glance immediately.

"I'm sorry, Gibbs," Tony started but broke off when the older man shook his head.

"No," he replied. "You were right."

"I was?" Tony whispered. "But the things I said…"

"You were right, Tony," Gibbs said, tilting his head ever so slightly to the left side as if he could look at Tony more closely this way. "I was there too often. Took charge when it really wasn't my place."

"No, but it was your place," Tony hurried to reply, feeling himself start to sweat even as his hand felt clammy in Gibbs'. "I needed you and I took advantage of you to a certain degree. But I liked having you there. You were such a great help. And… Hell, Tali loves you and she misses you like crazy."

"She does?" Gibbs asked so softly that Tony intuitively stepped a little closer towards him.

"Yeah," he breathed out. "I miss you, too," he then added in an afterthought, averting his eyes from Gibbs.

The older man remained silent as the continued to dance slowly, neither one paying attention to their surroundings. When Tony couldn't stand the silence any longer, he finally plucked up the courage to look at his former boss again. To his surprise, the older man had gotten a bit red in the face but he still stared right back at him. He didn't answer immediately, instead kept on looking into Tony's eyes. To Tony's utter astonishment, he didn't feel uncomfortable being stared at like that, so he just kept on looking back at him, waiting for Gibbs to say something.

When he finally spoke, it wasn't an answer to Tony's unasked question but it was Gibbs' way of saying that he had missed them, too.

"I've gone through Kelly's stuff," he offered quietly. "Got some toys that Tali could use."

"We could take a look this week if you wanted," Tony said, feeling a smile build on his lips. "I'm sure Tali would like to see all of the stuff herself."

"I'd love to have you over."

"It's a date then," Tony grinned, suddenly feeling like a million dollars.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews!**

 **Chapter Seven**

"I made you two dance?" Tali giggled. "You two never dance."

"Hardly ever. On weddings… but never with each other," Tony replied, smiling. "We can never decide who the lead is."

"I bet," Tali nodded. "Did you dance at your wedding?"

"We did. If you really want to watch the video we can take a look at it once Papa's home."

"Yes," Tali practically squealed. "Anyway," she became serious again. "Go on talking. You're taking forever."

"And you love every second of it," Tony grinned, earning himself a soft head slap from Tali. "Hey," he exclaimed. "Your papa has the trademark on that. Don't copy."

"Just go on talking!"

 ***GD***

"Can't believe you danced with Gibbs," Bishop laughed as they downed the zillionth shot in the last two hours.

"What? He's a good dancer," Tony replied as he drank some water in the futile hope of slowing down his rising level of insobriety. "Plus, like you could say no if Tali looked at you like that."

"No way," Abby laughed. "She's quite the charmer. Got it from her dad."

"Thank you," Tony said, winking at her.

"Also," Abby hiccupped and stole a quick glance at her boyfriend. "You two looked totally hot. I mean… guys in suits, dancing… what's better than that?"

"Abby," Ellie exclaimed, giggling.

"She's right," Delilah joined the conversation as she and McGee approached them. They both looked exhausted but were smiling happily. "Easiest the highlight of the day."

"I think that would be your wedding," Tony laughed, feeling his cheeks heat up.

"I'd say so."

Tony startled a bit at Gibbs' voice that traveled to him from behind. Gibbs had excused himself earlier to drive Ducky home and Tony hadn't expected him to come back. They hadn't really talked since the dance as Gibbs had entertained Tali and Tony had mostly just watched them. Now, Gibbs seemed oddly amused as he sat down at their table next to Tony, sipping from the bourbon he had brought along.

"She has you so wrapped around her fingers," Breena said. "Little princess."

"Like you're better with Victoria," Tony countered but Jimmy just shook his head.

"I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have made me dance with Gibbs."

"Honey," Breena laughed. "Nobody would want you to dance with him. Tony, on the other hand…" she trailed off as she saw the look on Gibbs' face.

"What?" Tony cried out, feeling the liquor slowly do its trick. "And I'm just destined to dance with the boss or what?"

"You two definitely looked comfy enough," Abby shrugged. "And he's not your boss anymore, remember?"

"Could we just switch topics now?" Gibbs bellowed and McGee easily followed his orders as he thanked them all for coming.

Tony, though, suddenly couldn't avert his eyes from Gibbs anymore. He was sure that no one else had noticed it but Gibbs' cheeks were a bit flushed and he was pretty sure that anger and alcohol had nothing to do with it. It was only when the older man turned around to look at him that Tony realized that he had been staring at him. Gibbs looked more relaxed now than at the ceremony, seemed more comfortable and he was even smiling now as he raised an eyebrow at Tony in question.

"You alright?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," Tony nodded. "Just happy."

And with a start he realized that he really was, too. While he still hadn't gotten over Ziva's death, he had accepted it, had accepted that she hadn't told him about Tali. He had finally managed to make the kid's nightmares disappear, had managed to get their life in order. They'd move into the bigger apartment in two weeks – and he was finally talking to Gibbs again.

"Sure you're not just drunk?" Gibbs quirked a half-grin.

"Like five sheets to the wind," Tony laughed. "But still happy about everything. Now that we're talking again and all."

"Is that right?" Gibbs asked quietly so that the others couldn't hear.

"Yeah," Tony nodded. "Tali was heartbroken, asked about her boss all the time."

Gibbs didn't answer, just smiled and nodded.

"And I felt so bad," Tony continued. "Because I didn't mean any of that, Gibbs, I swear. I loved having you there. I loved how Tali adored you. I don't know what has gotten into me."

"You needed to vent," Gibbs shrugged. "I was there. Easy target. And you were kind of right. I took too much charge."

"I don't think you did," Tony answered truthfully. "I needed the help. And it wasn't too much. I just can't forgive myself for the daddy stuff I said."

"It's alright, Tony," Gibbs said softly. "You apologized. All's well."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," DiNozzo," Gibbs sighed and delivered the expected head slap, which made Palmer on the other side of the table giggle.

"Back to the start, huh?" he asked and Abby punched him.

*GD*

Tony got out of the cab a couple of hours later, not entirely sure how he had managed not to throw up on the ride. He couldn't remember just how many shots he had had and he couldn't remember if he had said goodbye to the newlyweds. He barely remembered hugging Abby goodbye but the rest was blurry. He looked around now and realized that he was at Gibbs' place and the man himself was standing next to him, steadying him as he grabbed his elbow and maneuvered him into the house.

"Have to go home," Tony slurred. "Tali."

"Called Senior, remember? It's alright," Gibbs chuckled.

"Really? When?"

"Hour ago, Tony. Now get in."

"Hey," Tony replied as he closed the door behind him. "Why didn't you drive?"

"'Cause I drank like a bottle of bourbon?"

"That makes sense," the younger man nodded sagely. "Where am I sleeping?"

"Bed," Gibbs grunted. "I'll take the couch."

"But you don't sleep on the couch anymore," Tony tried to bargain. "I can take it."

"Nah, you'll just fall off," Gibbs grinned as he went into the kitchen.

Tony followed him, surprised when he saw Gibbs pour himself another glass of bourbon.

"Can I have one, too?"

"Do you really want one?" Gibbs laughed out loud. "You look like you're about to vomit."

"Eh," Tony replied, scrunching up his nose. "You're probably right. I'll trade you for a glass of water?"

"That I can do," Gibbs nodded and handed a bottle to Tony who took it gratefully.

"Sorry, didn't mean to get so drunk," Tony said as he plopped down on one of the chairs. "Didn't mean to put you out."

"No problem," the older man shrugged. "Didn't plan to drink quite that much either. Must celebrate when one has the opportunity."

"And if McGee finally getting laid isn't worth a celebration, I don't know what is," Tony grinned before he took a sip of water.

"Shut it, DiNozzo," Gibbs shook his head as he sat down next to him. "You're one to talk."

"What?" Tony laughed. "At least I got a kid."

"That you do," Gibbs laughed, too. "A pretty one at that."

"Yeah, isn't she?"

They stayed silent for a moment, each hanging in thoughts and in Tony's case, trying hard to get the spinning world around him in control.

"Hey Gibbs?" he asked after a while. "Why are you so great to Tali?"

"Why shouldn't I?"

"No, I mean… I know all the others adore her and all… but why do you care so much?"

"I…," Gibbs started, sounding hurt. "I cared about Ziva, I care about you. A lot. There isn't any reason I wouldn't care about Tali just as much. And yes, it started because I wanted to help you out… but as time went by I just knew that I had to be there for her. Didn't mean to get attached to her like that… it just happened."

"Does she make you miss Kelly more?" Tony couldn't hold himself back from asking, even as he felt himself getting more sober at the serious turn the conversation had taken.

"At first she did," Gibbs nodded thoughtfully and apparently he didn't mind the question. "But she's got nothing to do with Kelly, you know? Sure, the work's the same, but the kid isn't. Her smiles aren't the same, her kisses aren't the same. And yet they are."

"You didn't mean to love her," Tony whispered as he looked up at Gibbs' face that had a faraway expression on it.

"No, but how could I not?" Gibbs was smiling softly now. "And I know I don't have any right to feel that way, but I don't love her any less."

"I'm sorry that I took her from you," Tony whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"No, Tony," Gibbs answered and brought a hand to Tony's neck, squeezing it softly. "She's your daughter. You do what's best for her and if you think she doesn't need me, then it's alright. I understand. Just know that I won't go anywhere."

"She needs you," Tony answered and gulped, all the while Gibbs' hand was burning through his skin as if it was on fire. "She loves you. You can be there as much as you want. You're the best thing that could have happened. I just realized that reeeaaally late. So, please. Be there for her… and me."

"Okay, I will," Gibbs was smiling brilliantly now as he pulled Tony up with him before he engaged him in a tight hug.

After a second of surprise, Tony hugged him back fiercely, closing his eyes to keep the tears at bay.

"Thank you," he whispered, but Gibbs just shook his head.

"No, thank _you._ "

They let go of each other and stared at each other awkwardly before Tony shook himself, trying to get out of his stupor. "I'll head up then," he said, pointing to the general direction of the bedroom. "Night, Gibbs."

"Jethro."

"Huh?"

"That's my name. Call me Jethro."

"O-Okay," Tony nodded as he got moving again. "Night Jethro."

"Night Tony."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry this took so long. Updates will be faster from now on, I promise.**

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

"Why didn't you just kiss him?" Tali cut in, subtly shaking her head.

"I didn't know I liked him like that," Tony replied.

"That's because you were blind."

"Maybe," Tony shrugged. "But your mom had just died and we had finally settled into some sort of normalcy. It wouldn't have been the right time."

"When is ever the right time?"

"You got a point there, honey," Tony leaned back on the couch, drawing his knees to his chest. "But sometimes it's just not that easy. Don't forget that Jethro had been my boss for fifteen years. It's not as simple as to give him a kiss when you are drunk. There was a lot on the line. Plus, I really didn't know that I wanted to kiss him just yet."

"When did that change, then?"

 ***JT***

"Apartment's great, Tony," Gibbs grunted as the younger man had finished showing him around.

"Yeah, I know," Tony nodded. "Loved it from the moment I laid eyes on it. Love the space for the piano."

"You still play?"

"Not since Tali got here," Tony sighed. "There's never time."

"You never played for her? All this time?"

"Not even once."

"I'm sure she'll love it," Gibbs said quietly.

Tony sighed and flopped down on his new couch. It was much more comfortable than his old one had been, was much bigger, too, but he somehow couldn't help but miss the old one. It was just another thing that was changing.

He watched Gibbs walk around the apartment slowly. He hadn't seen it before as he and the team had had back to back cases for weeks and he had even apologized for not helping with moving. Tony had brushed it off, he had done most of the packing on his own and the actual moving had been handled by a company, so it really wasn't that much of a big deal. Gibbs was openly staring at the king sized bed that was now standing in Tony's new bed room.

"Whatever happened to your twin?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"In storage," Tony grinned. "Felt like it was time to get rid of it. Kept it though… maybe Tali will want it when she gets older."

"Good thinking," Gibbs agreed as he sat down next to him, bumping his shoulder against Tony's. "This is perfect."

"Yup," Tony nodded and grinned. "And really close to your place."

"That's definitely a bonus."

"You want to stay for dinner? McGee's going to drop Tali off any minute now."

Gibbs nodded. "Don't remember when I last ate something that didn't come from a can."

"Not that my lasagna is much better."

"You kidding? It's the best there is."

"Thanks," Tony looked away, actually feeling his cheeks heat up at the rare compliment. "If we ever get the time we've got to go to Aruba's. Now that's really the best lasagna there is."

"Okay," Gibbs agreed easily enough and Tony wondered if he would have done so mere months ago but decided that he never would have asked in the first place.

"Hey Gibbs?" he started but the older man just shook his head.

"Jethro, remember?"

"Right. Not so easy to get used to it after sixteen years."

"If you're not comfortable…," Gibbs trailed off and looked away, but Tony quickly tapped a finger against the older man's knee to make him look at him again.

"Not what I meant. Just unfamiliar. I'll get used to it, I promise."

"Alright."

"That reminds me," Tony quietly continued. "Does it bother you that Tali calls you boss?"

"No," Gibbs chuckled. "Princess can call me whatever the hell she wants to."

*JT*

"Remember he called you Michael Jackson?" Tony laughed.

To his surprise, McGee actually turned a bit red in the face at that as he tried to keep his laughter under control. Delilah had long lost that particular battle as tears were already streaming down her face.  
Tony and Tali had settled nicely in their new apartment, Gibbs had been a huge help and the two month anniversary of their move marked the date of the first dinner invite for the team. Or well, the old team that was. McGee and Delilah were there, as well as Gibbs, Bishop, Ducky and Abby with John. They had been retelling old stories for the new members of their little family for the past hour or so and Tony realized that while he didn't particularly miss the work, he did miss his people, even though he saw all of them on a regular basis, but rarely together.

"Well, he was wearing that ridiculous face mask. Who else came to mind?" Gibbs gave back, laughing, too.

"Nobody. I was just surprised you knew who Michael Jackson was, Jethro."

"I don't actually live under rock, Tony."

"But you did live under a boat back then," Abby cut in.

"Oh, I'm not so sure," Tony chuckled. "Remember the mysterious redhead who used to pick him up at work back then?"

"Oh, I remember the convertible," McGee nodded.

"What mysterious redhead?" Bishop asked and Tony chuckled as he watched Gibbs put his head into his hands.

"We never found out her name. Nor the status of their relationship. We always thought she would be wife number four."

"But Stephanie was number four," Bishop replied confused. "Wasn't she?"

"We didn't know that back then," Tony replied quietly, casting a glance at Gibbs but he didn't seem to be fazed about the inclined mention of Shannon.

"So why didn't she become ex-wife number four?" Delilah asked and Tony still marveled at her guts sometimes to ask questions like that.

"We never were quite serious," Gibbs shrugged. "I don't think she ever was at my house."

"You're just like Tony. Never take any women home," Bishop chuckled.

"Though he did buy a bigger bed," Abby pointed out causing Tony to sigh loudly.

"Trust me. I think even Jethro slept in there more than I did. Let alone bring women home."

"What?" Abby asked, looking at him incredulously.

"What?" Tony echoed, replaying what he had just said in his head and then feeling his cheeks heat up.

He chanced a glance at Gibbs und saw him smirk, even though his eyes were staring seriously right back at him.

"I'm often here at night," he answered Abby's question as if it was no big deal. "And Tony keeps insisting I take the bed."

"Alright," Delilah cut off Abby who had just opened her mouth. "Tell me more about newbie Tim. He sounds like fun."

Tony averted his glance from Gibbs for a second to look at Tim's wife and nodded his thanks. She just winked at him, indicating that she had understood but somehow it managed to make him even more uncomfortable. He didn't even know why. There was nothing wrong with Jethro spending as much time at his apartment as he was. They had talked about it, they both wanted it that way and Tali seemed to thrive because of it. She was happy when they both were there, still loved Jethro's bedtime stories and the few toys which had once belonged to Kelly. Tony knew that he didn't particularly _need_ Gibbs to take care of his daughter anymore but he simply _wanted_ him there. It was as simple as that. They had fallen into an easy rhythm with taking turns at cooking, grocery shopping and long walks through the parks with Tali.

He tuned out the conversation around him as he studied Jethro's face. He was still looking right back at him, giving him a half-smile. Tony smiled back at him and then felt Abby's eyes on them, so he quickly looked away. Abby was openly smirking at him but he just shook his head. Sure, in Abby's world this might seem a bit hinky, but it really wasn't. Having Gibbs there was as normal as making Tali breakfast in the morning, as normal as brushing his teeth. To an outsider it might look like there was something going on, but, really, there wasn't.

The soft cry coming from the baby-phone that was placed between him and Gibbs caught his attention and he shushed the others as he tried to decide whether Tali would just go back to sleep or if he needed to check up on her. She whimpered for a moment before she cried out.

"Pa!"

"That's you, then," Tony said softly as Gibbs was already halfway out his chair.

It wasn't until Gibbs had already vanished into Tali's brand new bedroom that Tony noticed that all eyes were on him. And this time it wasn't only Abby who looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" Tony asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Pa?" Delilah asked, her mouth hanging open comically. "She calls him Pa?"

"So?"

"Don't you realize how much that must hurt him?" Abby whispered. "How can you do that to him?"

"What are you talking about?" Tony asked, feeling like he was missing something big.

"You can't let her keep calling him that. Not unless you're planning on playing house with him until she's eighteen, Tony."

"We're not playing house, Abby," Tony quietly answered, hoping that Gibbs wasn't able to hear them. "He's just helping out."

"It's much more than that and you know it."

"Abby…," Tony started but trailed off as the Goth shook her head. "Come on, guys," he started again as he looked at the others who were nodding along with what Abby had said. "He doesn't mind."

"You need to talk to him, Tony," Delilah said urgently. "This isn't fair to him or to Tali."

"What is that isn't fair?" Tony checked back, still not tracking what was so wrong with him. "He _wants_ to be here."

"Of course he does," Abby hurried on, apparently having realized that Tali's fussing over the baby-phone had died down and Gibbs would soon reappear. "But don't let it get too far, okay?"

"What?" Tony asked again but then Jethro walked back in and he fell silent. There were a few moments of silence before he opened his mouth again, this time directing his question at Gibbs.

"How is she doing?"

"Sound asleep," Gibbs grunted and sat down next to him.

The conversation around them was picked up again, but Tony once more didn't pay attention.

What the hell had just happened?


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

"You really were blind, weren't you?" Tali chuckled. "But it was really mean of Abby to tell you like this."

"It wasn't really mean, honey," Tony shrugged. "I don't think she knew that I hadn't realized. I just didn't understand what they meant and I felt horrible to take advantage of your papa without even realizing. Not that I thought they were right that evening. In retrospect, though."

"You didn't mean to hurt him. He knew that, too, right?"

"Yup," Tony nodded solemnly.

 ***GT***

"Oh," Tony sighed when the door fell close behind Abby. "I've missed this."

"What? The stress? The volume?" Gibbs chuckled as he plopped down on the couch.

"The companionship," Tony replied sitting down next to Gibbs. "You staying?"

"Either that or I'll have to walk. Since when do you have the good bourbon anyway?"

"Since I know you're here a lot," Tony grinned but then looked away from Gibbs quickly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, really," Tony answered slowly, wondering if he really should open up the can of those particular worms.

"Uh-Oh," Gibbs just said, raising an eyebrow. "Spill. You've been weird ever since I came back earlier."

"Am I taking advantage of you?" Tony asked bluntly.

Gibbs furrowed a brow as he sat up in order to look at the younger man more closely.

"No?" he said, suddenly sounding a bit confused himself.

"The others told me I did. But I honestly don't see why."

"What did they say?" Gibbs almost demanded and Tony realized that he was getting angry with the team, was getting angry at the world in general.

He hurried to tell him, even if only to make him less angry and to make him see that they were just worried about him. When he finished, Gibbs had gotten a bit redder in the face even though he didn't seem to be angry anymore.

"You really don't know what they mean, do you?"

"No?" Tony repeated Gibbs' earlier question with a sinking feeling as he realized that Gibbs apparently knew exactly what they had been talking about. "What am I missing?"

"They _think_ I want to be Daddy."

"And that's wrong how? We've talked about this."

"I know that, Tony," Gibbs replied calmly, apparently sensing Tony's discomfort. "What they are saying, Tony, is that I don't want to play house but actually do this. The proper way."

Tony stared at him as he tried to decipher what Gibbs had just said. Something in the pit of his stomach had started to roil at the older man's words but Tony was still clueless about what exactly was going on. All he knew was that Jethro apparently didn't dismiss the crazy idea of Tony exploiting him and that he was turning slightly pink in the face again. Was the guy actually blushing? Was he actually telling him what Tony thought he was? It didn't make any sense. All of it. Had they all gone insane? Were they playing an elaborate prank on him?

It was possible but another look into Gibbs' face told him that he wasn't joking. The blue eyes were piercing him and they were as serious as he had ever seen them.

"What?" he finally pressed out. "What do you mean, the proper way?"

"Not just playing house, Tony. But actually do it."

"What? You mean like… you and me?" Tony stammered as he let himself fall against the backrest of the couch. "You're kidding," he let out a strangled laugh as he realized that they had indeed played him. "Damn."

As he looked at Gibbs again, though, the laugh got stuck somewhere on the way from his belly to his mouth. He let out a strangled breath as he saw Gibbs still staring at him with such intensity that he momentarily lost his train of thought.

"They _are_ kidding, right?"

"I don't think they are."

"You mean, you think that they actually believe that you want to hook up with me?" Tony asked quietly, not sure if he felt sick or amused or if he was actually dreaming all of it. It all seemed so surreal. Like Hugh Grant meeting Julia Roberts in _Notting Hill._ Nothing made sense anymore. And most of all, Gibbs taking their worries seriously was beyond ridiculous. "They're crazy."

"Are they?" Jethro checked back and Tony closed his eyes feeling like he had been dipped into ice-cold water.

"Jethro," he almost whispered now. "They are crazy."

"They're not."

"So, you do want to…," Tony trailed off, not even trying to voice it.

This _was_ crazy. It was as simple as that. There was no way around it. Gibbs could not possibly even consider the possibility of them being together. Sure, he liked him, hell, he might even love him. But that was a different kind of love. This was about Tali, this was about helping Tony out. It was nothing else. Gibbs simply couldn't even entertain the idea. And yet – there he was sitting right next to him, looking at him expectantly and waiting patiently for Tony to do… something. But Tony didn't know what to do, didn't know what to say, didn't know what Jethro was expecting of him. He hadn't even considered the possibility that there could be something more. Gibbs had been his boss for fifteen years, and _Jethro_ had been his friend for only a couple of months. Sure, they had gotten tight, but not that tight? Had they?

Maybe they had, and Tony had just missed it. Gibbs had stayed over more than he had slept at his own house. He had been a father figure in Tali's life, a fixture, really… and not just in Tali's life but in Tony's, too. Hell, he couldn't imagine a life without him. For sixteen years, really.

 _Oh._

"Jethro," he started again. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything," Gibbs said quietly. "I didn't realize you didn't know."

"How was I supposed to know? You never let anything on."

"Because I thought you knew."

"Well, I didn't," Tony blurted out as he stood up. "I didn't fucking know!"

"It's alright," Jethro appeased. "You know now."

"Since when…?" Tony trailed off, taking a deep breath.

This was still surreal. And why the hell was the other man so quiet, so composed? He should be freaked out, should be panicking and yet there he stood so calmly that Tony wanted to hit him. He had told him this monumental thing and Tony was supposed to just go with it? This was crazy after all.

"A while," Gibbs nodded, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I didn't realize for quite some time. I never thought about you that way either. It wasn't until you threw me out that night that I realized I wasn't just missing Tali like crazy. I missed you, too."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I figured you knew."

"Since when are you assuming?"

"Never good to break your own rules, huh?" Gibbs grinned ever so slightly.

"You should have told me, Jethro," Tony finally whispered as he sat down again. "I never even thought about it… hell, the others knew and I didn't. How's that even possible?"

"They're investigators, Tony."

"But I'm better. I should have seen it."

"Maybe you should have."

"I feel so stupid. And I'm sorry, I can't give you an answer right now… hell, I don't even know what you are asking."

"It's alright. I'm not asking anything. I'm fine with continuing what we were doing. No pressure. I'm fine with playing house as Abby phrased it."

"You sure?"

"Yup."

"Okay," Tony breathed out, not sure exactly whether or not he, himself, was okay.

"I think I'll get going then."

"You can stay if you want."

"No, I don't think I should. You have a lot to think about, Tony."

With that, Gibbs stood up, squeezing his shoulder once, walked over to the open door to Tali's room, looked at her for a moment with such a tender expression on his face that it made Tony's heart even heavier and then he was out the door.

Tony stared at the closed door for a really long time after that. He knew he should clean up, should go to bed but he wasn't able to move. He still needed to process and he wasn't quite sure if he would really be able to do so – ever. This had to be a silly joke. Gibbs wasn't interested in him like that, wasn't in love with him.

 _Fuck._

Was he really in love with him? With screwed-up Tony DiNozzo Jr.? How was that even possible? Hell, Tony hadn't even known that Gibbs was bi. How had he spent the last sixteen years with the guy and not known something that monumentally big? Maybe he hadn't been as good an agent as he had thought. But it all didn't make sense.

And how in the world had the others noticed that fact before him? How had Abby known when she hadn't even really seen them interact outside of work much? How had Delilah known that Gibbs was looking at him differently? Hell, even Breena? And how had none of them realized that Tony wasn't on the same page – because, really, he wasn't. He wasn't in love with Gibbs. He loved him in a very friendship-y way, loved him for what he had done for him and for Tali but that was it.

Tony tried to imagine kissing the other man but couldn't even think about it without feeling weird. He knew that while he hadn't known that Gibbs was bi, he was sure of one thing. He certainly wasn't. He had never thought about another man like that. Ever. And yet, he did think of Gibbs like that now. Did that mean something? Or nothing at all?

Fuck, this was screwing with his mind. Maybe he should go to bed after all. Maybe everything would look brighter and clearer in the morning. After all, Gibbs had told him that there was no pressure, that he was fine with keep on doing what they had been doing. So nothing had to change if Tony didn't want to. And he didn't want things to change. It was too much, too weird, too out of there. There was no chance.

He would just go on like this night had never happened. And maybe, it actually hadn't. It had to be a dream. In the morning things would be back to normal.

They had to be.


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: Thanks so much for your awesome reviews!**_

* * *

 **Chapter Ten**

"Oh, Abba," Tali sighed as she gave him a hug. "That sounds tough."

"I was stupid," Tony replied, shrugging. "I was freaked out about a lot of things."

"Not exactly easy thinking about that when you're so old," Tali said sagely, earning herself a soft head slap.

"Hey! I'll have you know I'm not old."

"You know what I meant."

"I do, kiddo," Tony grinned. "And you're right. It was hard but not for the obvious reason. I just couldn't imagine taking that step with Jethro of all people. Boss, friend… it was all complicated enough."

"So what helped?"

"I did," Jethro's voice traveled towards them from where he was leaning against the doorframe.

Tony looked up, smiling at him. "Didn't hear you come in."

"Hi Papa," Tali greeted him. "How long have you been standing there?"

"A while," Gibbs grinned as he walked over, limping ever so slightly, dropped a kiss on Tali's head and then planted one on Tony's lips. "Can I join story time?"

"Absolutely," Tony nodded as Gibbs sat down on the other side of the couch. "We were at the point where I was freaking out."

"That could be anywhere," Gibbs quipped, earning himself a poke on the shoulder from his daughter.

"Meanie," she said.

"Bastard," Tony mumbled which caused Tali to point to their "Bad Word Jar" that stood on a nearby shelf.

"The second 'b' ain't for nothing, kiddo."

"Just keep going," Tali ordered and Tony was just about to open his mouth when Gibbs beat him to talking.

"May I?"

 ***JT***

Gibbs caught himself watching Tony more than usually. He had always liked to watch him, either at work, especially when he had concentrated so hard on solving a case that he forgot to goof off, or now at home whenever he took care of Tali.

At home. Weird how Tony's apartment had become just that. It was where the people he loved were after all, never mind the boat or his own house. He didn't even miss the quiet in his basement. Maybe he was getting soft with age but every time he just looked at Tali, his heart started to beat a fraction quicker. It was as if he had gotten part of Kelly back. Not that Tali was a substitute for her, not by a long shot, but he had gotten part of his fatherhood back and it felt exactly like it had back then. He loved the girl with all he had, loved her smile, loved the way she laughed when Tony told a joke or the way she would grab Gibbs' hand when they were going for a walk. He just loved her. It was as simple as that.

Just as simple as he was in love with her father. The thought had first struck him as odd when he had realized he might have feelings for Tony but now it seemed to be completely normal. It had never freaked him out, he had dated other man before after all, but it had still been weird because he had never even thought about that particular possibility. It had literally taken him months to realize and then another month to decide whether or not to act on it, but then that fateful team dinner had happened and he had no idea now if he should do something about it or let Tony figure it out himself.

He had decided to go against his better instincts and just be patient even though all he wanted to do was kiss the guy, hold him until he realized that Gibbs was the one for him. But he did no such thing, knowing that Tony was obsessing over it enough as it was.

Instead, he had refrained to just watching him. Tony's behavior hadn't changed ever since that night, not obviously at least. Sometimes it seemed like Tony was thinking hard about it and the next day he seemed to be completely carefree. He was still normal Daddy-Tony to Tali and still normal Friend-Tony to Gibbs. Just sometimes when Tali was already sound asleep, it seemed like Tony was drawing himself away from him. It was as if he was afraid of Gibbs just attacking him or of merely talking to him about stuff he didn't want to talk about. And yet, at times, it seemed like he just wanted to lean in, like he just wanted to be hugged, like he just wanted to say something – but he never did. It was frustrating but Gibbs had sworn to himself that he wouldn't take the first step, not when Tony obviously wasn't done thinking yet.

 ***JT***

A few weeks had already passed since that dinner and while Gibbs had tried to be patient, his patience was wearing thinner with every day that passed with Tony showing no sign of having come to a decision. If he wasn't interested in Gibbs that way, it would be okay, nothing would change between them but it was the not knowing that drove Gibbs crazy.

 ***JT***

He had just whispered a good night to Tali one night, having read her favorite bedtime story to her when he heard Tony talk on the phone in the living room.

"Abby," he was saying quietly. "I know, okay? It's just too complicated right now. What if it doesn't work? Tali's already lost her mother, I don't want her to lose her papa, too."

Gibbs stood still in the hallway as he listened intently to the silence that followed when Abby answered him. He heard Tony sigh before he answered.

"You know I do," he then said. "It's just… he hasn't said anything. I'm not even sure he's still interested."

"I am," Gibbs said, stepping into the living room where Tony was sitting in front of the piano, his cell phone attached to his ear.

They younger man turned so fast that he nearly let the phone fall from his hand. He was turning slightly red in the face as he saw Gibbs standing there and the older man had to smile at the sudden shyness radiating from the man in front of him.

"Abby," he stuttered out, speaking into the receiver. "I got to go. I'll call you tomorrow."

He ended the call and threw the cell onto the couch, still staring at Gibbs who was suddenly growing a bit anxious at the insecurity that was written all across Tony's face. He hurried to move towards him, sensing that this might be his only chance to broach the subject.

"Tony," he started quietly. "Of course I'm still interested."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because you told me you needed time to think and I was giving you just that. Time."

"Okay," Tony let out a sigh, running a tired hand through his hair. "Okay."

"And did you?" Gibbs went into it. "Think?"

"Every single second," Tony conceded. "Every single fucking second."

"And?"

Tony remained silent for a few moments and Gibbs felt himself get itchy. He knew that Tony had basically told Abby that he liked him over the phone just now but the younger man had started to look confused again and it suddenly unnerved Gibbs to no end. He knew that he could do this friendship thing and could still be Tali's papa but suddenly it wasn't nearly enough. Not when he finally saw the least bit of a chance. He just needed Tony to confess it.

"What's the hold-up, Tony?" He finally started again when Tony still didn't say anything. "Tali?"

"Yes and no," Tony shrugged, suddenly looking lost. "What if this doesn't work?"

"I'll still be Tali's papa. I promise. She doesn't have anything to do with us."

"You mean that?" Tony spoke up, finally looking him straight in the eye.

"Of course," Gibbs hurried to continue. "She was here," he put a hand over his own heart, "long before the other thing."

Tony nodded mutely and then ran a hand through his hair again, this time messing it up big time. Gibbs itched to run his own hand through it to straighten it but knew that it was hardly the time now. He waited till Tony finally let out a sigh and looked at him once more, his green eyes still seemingly confused.

"I don't know if I can do this, Jethro," he finally whispered and Gibbs felt his heart sink.

"Why?" he answered just as quietly. "You just told Abby that there's… something."

"You heard that, huh?" Tony sighed once again. "I don't know, Jethro. Wouldn't it be weird? You've been my boss for so long, my friend."

"Not much weirder than me being papa to that little girl over there," Gibbs replied softly.

Again, Tony remained silent but at least he was still looking at him this time, so Gibbs took a deep breath, making up his mind.

"Okay, listen. How about we go on a date some time? We'll have Senior or Jimmy babysit Tali and we'll go out to dinner, maybe a movie."

"Test the water, you mean?"

"Yeah," Gibbs shrugged, his heart feeling lighter at the brightening that could be seen in Tony's expression.

"A date."

"Yup."

"Okay," Tony finally answered with such force that it seemed like he was giving himself a pep talk. "A date is fine. I can do a date."

"Good," Gibbs beamed at him.

They stared awkwardly at each other for a few moments before Tony loudly cleared his throat and averted his eyes.

"Want to watch the game?" he asked and Gibbs nearly laughed out loud at the non-sequitur.

"Sure," he shrugged again and then followed Tony to the couch, idly wondering why the awkwardness was gone as suddenly as it had come.

Everything was back to normal and yet, Jethro couldn't help but feel the hope inside of him blossom that he'd sit a tiny bit closer to Tony in the future.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** What can I say? I'm sorry for letting you wait this long. I'm not usually like that as I hate waiting for a chapter for that long, too. It was like I was running against a wall whenever I wanted to write this. So I stopped trying for a while (been in the Caribbean, too, and all that) and came back to it this weekend. Hope the road block's cleared now and the chapters are going to come faster than this one. Once again, I'm sorry.

And THANK YOU for your feedback and your patience! :)

 **Chapter Eleven**

"Hard work," Tali giggled when Gibbs stopped talking for a second to go into the kitchen and fetch two beers for him and Tony.

"Tell me about it," Gibbs shouted from the kitchen.

"Like you were Cool-Hand-Luke when we went on that date," Tony shouted back, grinning at his daughter who threw him a confused look.

"What do you mean?" she asked when her father didn't elaborate.

"He was nervous," Tony stage whispered which caused Gibbs to let out a bark of a laugh as he handed him the bottle of beer.

"Was not."

"Sure you were."

"Pa, Abba? Could you just tell me?" Tali interrupted their playful quarrel.

"Alright, alright," Tony grinned, took a sip from the beer and then continued.

*JT*

Tony looked at himself in the mirror, absent-mindedly trying to flatten a strand of hair that just wouldn't fit with the others. He subtly shook his head wondering why he even cared. Only an hour ago he had been lying in his trainers on the couch with Tali and had been covered in finger paint as they had tried to paint Abby a new picture for her lab. Gibbs had been there, too, and he hadn't looked much better than Tony himself. So why exactly was he trying to look nice now? It wasn't like they hadn't seen each other naked, hadn't smelled each other's sweat during work out sessions, hadn't been covered in each other's blood and hadn't gotten rid of food residues from their clothes for the last couple months together.

Tony knew he was being ridiculous but it was a first date after all. So what if he had known the guy for sixteen years? It was still special. Or Tony wanted it to be special. He still hadn't settled his mind on the possibility of Gibbs and him hooking up but he had taken a few imaginary steps towards it. It was still weird thinking about it but the idea of Jethro being there for him in that way was slowly becoming familiar. Tony could work with that.

Letting out another sigh, he left his bedroom just in time with the door bell ringing. He hurried to his front door and opened it. Abby stepped in giving him a quick hug.

"Where's the little princess?"

"Abby?" Tali's squeal was to be heard and a second later she came paddling towards them.

Abby picked her up and planted a big kiss on her cheek before she turned towards Tony again letting out a whistle.

"You're looking sharp. Nervous?"

"A bit," Tony acknowledged. "It's not like I've done this before."

"Go on a date?"

"A first date. With my ex-boss."

"Still think it's weird?" Abby asked, shooting him an apprehensive look.

"No, not weird… just… I don't know. Still haven't wrapped my head around it all."

"You love him, Tony. You know that. I'm sure that it's romantic, too. Just give it a chance."

"It's not just that," Tony sighed, suddenly feeling his insides constrict for a moment at the thought of loving someone like Gibbs. "There's still Ziva."

Abby put Tali down on the ground and then pulled Tony along with her towards the couch where she sat down with a sorrowful expression on her face.

"I thought you were over her?"

"I am," Tony said as he sat down, too. "I was, long before she died…" he trailed off as the pain crushed into him at full speed. It still hurt so damn much. "And I've accepted that she's gone and that she chose not to tell me. Even if she wasn't dead I don't think I'd be in love with her. Not after she… just didn't tell me, you know?"

"Are you mad at her?"

"Not anymore," Tony shook his head. "I mean… it was bullshit not telling me that Princess was there. It was bullshit not telling me a thing about her… or just call me at all. That wasn't fair. I would've been there for her… for them. I just don't get it why she didn't tell me. But that's in the past. No sense in holding a grudge against her. Even if it's only for Tali's sake. I don't want her to grow up thinking that I hate her Ima. Because I don't. I love her but not like that."

"I'm sorry, Tony," Abby pressed out, giving him a tight hug. "I know it must be hard."

Tony just nodded as he let himself fall back against the backrest of the couch.

"But…" Abby started after a while. "What does it have to do with your date tonight if you're over her?"

"Sometimes I think I'm not cut out for it. It's like Ziva gave me this box full of darkness which I can't give back anymore."

"Box of darkness?" Abby checked back, scrunching up her face in confusion.

"She left me in the darkness about so many things, so many things I thought I knew about her. And I can't get rid of it. What if... what if I just think that I know Gibbs? What if whatever I'm feeling for him is just nonsense? What if this is just a big giant cosmic joke? I can't let myself get pulled under. Not again. Not so soon."

"Tony," Abby whispered now, absent-mindedly watching Tali play with one of her toys before she looked at Tony again. "This is Gibbs. He's a mysterious man, I give you that. But there's nothing mysterious about the way he feels about you - has been feeling about you for years probably. Don't doubt him. He'll never let you fall and you know that."

"I hope so," Tony nodded, giving Abby a soft smile. "How did you know? About us, I mean? I can't get over the fact that I never saw it and yet all of you – even Breena – noticed it."

"You'd have to be blind, Tony," Abby gave him a big smile this time. "Forget about the way Gibbs looks at you when he thinks you're not looking. But you do the same thing, even if not that obvious. You can just tell that he means the world to you. And I know it was all about Tali at first… but that's changed, right?"

"Yeah," Tony nodded slowly, feeling slightly better now that he had talked to someone about it.

Everything that Abby had said was right. Gibbs had never failed him and he wouldn't fail him now either.

He wanted to try.

As if on cue, the doorbell rang again. Slightly smiling, Tony went to open it, knowing that it was Jethro. He had a key of course but it was just like him to ring the bell now that he was picking him up for a date.

"Hey," Tony greeted him and got a nod back in return.

"Pa!" Tali shouted from the inside and Gibbs smiled at her as he picked her up and gave her a kiss. "You stay?" she asked then, smiling broadly.

"Not today. But Abby's going to stay with you."

"Okay," Tali shrugged, struggling to get back down onto the ground and then ran back to the Goth who was still sitting on the couch.

"Shoo," she said grinning. "We're having a fun girls' night. Isn't that right, Tali? Now go on and have a guys' night."

*JT*

If Tony didn't know any better he'd thought that Gibbs was nervous, too. The drive to the restaurant was quiet and for once Tony didn't know what to say. He didn't want to ramble about a movie or another as it felt wrong doing his normal routine when this was a special night. Gibbs, not the greatest talker to begin with, remained completely silent, concentrating on driving.

"Where are we going anyway?" Tony finally asked after they had already driven for about half an hour, glad that he could disrupt the silence for a few moments.

"Steakhouse off the 7th. Hope you like it."

"Steak's always good," Tony agreed and realized with quite a surprise that Gibbs' shoulders relaxed a bit at his admission.

They were silent again and Tony felt himself get a bit antsy. Why was this so hard? They never had trouble talking when they were at home or out with Tali. What was so different all of a sudden? He let out a loud sigh and then just asked, knowing that it was better to grab the bull by the horns.

"You nervous? Because I am. Nervous that is. A lot. And I've got no idea why."

Gibbs let out a snort of a laugh and then chanced a glance at Tony who gave him a smile for the benefit of the doubt.

"No need to," the corners of Gibbs' mouth twitched. "It's not like we're different people out here."

"Yup," Tony grinned, feeling better at the nonchalant tone of voice.

"No pressure," Gibbs continued in a low voice, his eyes darting from the street to Tony and back again.

"I know," Tony smiled again.

"I just want to do this right," Gibbs said so quietly that Tony wasn't entirely sure he had actually said it.

"Me, too," he conceded and then felt a jolt in his stomach as the truth of his statement sank in.

He wanted to do this right. He wanted to do this. Suddenly it was as clear as air. Before he could say more though, he felt something warm on his thigh and he realized that Gibbs had placed a tentative hand there. For a moment Tony felt his heart pick up pace at the simple gesture but then he realized that it didn't feel strange. Without another thought he brought his hand towards Jethro's and intertwined their fingers.

Gibbs didn't say anything for the rest of the drive and neither did Tony but it wasn't uncomfortable anymore. It was like they were both marveling at the feel of each other's hand, at the warmth that they were radiating.

It was good.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews!**

Chapter Twelve

Tony trailed off for a moment and realized that Tali hadn't interrupted him this time. Her thoughts were apparently far away. She only looked up from her feet when Tony remained silent for a few more moments. It was only then that he realized that he hadn't shared that particular piece of information with Tali before. How Ziva had hurt him by leaving him in the dark for so long, by hiding Tali away from him for such a long time.

"You know I love your Ima, right?" he softly asked, eliciting a soft sigh from Tali.

"Yeah, Abba, I know," she said with a small smile. "And the way you've been talking about her ever since I can remember tells me that, too. Don't worry. I know."

"Good," Tony pressed a soft kiss against her temple as he hugged her closer for a moment.

"Ziva's death all hit us really hard," Gibbs jumped in. "It wasn't easy starting over."

"Yeah," Tali nodded and sighed exasperated. "I know."

"Oh, I think we're starting to annoy her," Tony quipped, effectively earning himself a head slap from Jethro and a laugh from Tali.

"Not yet," Tali grinned. "But soon if you're not going to continue your story."

"We're almost at the end anyway," Tony shrugged as if it didn't matter. "The rest is pretty much history."

"Daaaad," Tali groaned causing Jethro to laugh.

"Okay, I'll continue," the older man saved Tony from another poke on the shoulder as he started talking again.

*JT*

"It's nice here," Tony said off-handedly causing Gibbs to give him a soft smile.

He had spent what seemed like hours on the internet to find something decent enough to go to dinner to. He didn't want to take Tony to some Italian restaurant as he was sure that the man knew every single one in the tristate area anyway. He had first toyed with the idea of just cooking him steaks at his house but it somehow didn't seem right. This had to be something special. It was a first date after all. He hadn't let anything on and had pretended that he hadn't searched for this particular spot. But Tony was right. It _was_ nice.

"You been here before?" Tony asked, nervousness getting the better of him again as he began to talk abruptly again.

"Nope," Gibbs answered. "Heard it's good though. Glad you like it."

Tony nodded as he perused the menu for much longer than Gibbs would have thought. After they had finally ordered, they stayed silent again and Gibbs could see that Tony was searching for a topic to start on but couldn't decide on which one. It was kind of cute to watch him struggle for words for once. But Jethro was the reason the other man was so uncomfortable, so he helped him out this one time.

"I've looked into pre-schools for Tali this week. There are a few that are only on two days."

"I'm not sure yet if I should let her go already," Tony sighed, looking a bit torn.

"It's still pretty early," Gibbs acknowledged. "But it's never too soon to look. Besides, I'm pretty sure it'll be good for her to find some new friends."

"Yeah, I know," Tony gave a soft smile. "A boy might be nice for a change. I think she's turning into a princess because of Victoria."

"She's always been your princess," Gibbs laughed and Tony joined in.

"Yours, too, in case you were wondering."

"Wasn't," Gibbs grinned.

"Is it okay to talk about her?" Tony finally asked after his grin had vanished.

"Why not?"

"We're on a date."

"I am aware of that," Gibbs nodded. "But this is us. This is our life and she's the biggest part of that. We can skip the getting to know each other phase because we pretty much know everything about each other."

"It's like we're starting this thing about 10 years into our marriage."

"Maybe," Gibbs shrugged again. "We just skipped all the sex."

That got him a strangled laugh from Tony who looked an odd mixture of amused and terrified.

"I'm joking, Tony."

"I know," Tony shook his head. "I just think I've never heard you say sex so bluntly."

Gibbs just shook his head, glad that Tony hadn't freaked out at the thought of them getting more intimate with each other.

*JT*

"Papa!" Tali interrupted him. "I really didn't need to hear about that."

"Sorry," Gibbs laughed out loud. "I won't do it again."

"Good."

"What do we tell you then?" Tony chimed in.

"Just tell me how you got together, Dad. I mean… what did you talk about on that date?"

"Everything. Once we had settled that nothing was off limits, it was a pretty normal every day conversation. It was comfy."

"And afterwards?"

"What do you mean afterwards?"

"Like when you were dropping Dad off."

"You sure you're ready to hear that?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," Tony said, holding up his hands in surrender. "Since you've asked."

*JT*

While the conversation had flowed easily all the way back towards his apartment, they had fallen silent when Gibbs parked his car in front of Tony's home. Tony quickly got out of the car, not exactly knowing whether or not he should ask Gibbs to come up with him. He wanted to offer him a cup of coffee but at the same time he knew that Abby was still up there, so it wouldn't exactly feel like the end of a date. On the other hand he didn't know if he did want to have it feel like the end of a date. He had enjoyed it immensely and he was sure that Gibbs had too, at least judging by the quantity of smiles he had directed towards him all evening.

Gibbs helped him out of his predicament when he came to a stop right next to him, hesitantly reaching out his left hand for Tony's. The younger man looked into his eyes for a second before he took Gibbs' outreached hand. They were standing there for a moment, facing each other and Tony suddenly felt his heart pick up pace. He felt heat rush to his cheeks and he realized that he was actually nervous about getting kissed for the first time since high school. It wasn't even the fact that it was Jethro or the fact that he was a guy. It was simply that Tony wanted the kiss to be great, wanted it to be the best one he would ever give. Suddenly it was so important to him that he nearly missed the moment when Gibbs leaned into him the tiniest of fractions.

When their lips met, it was like Tony had been completely unprepared. After all the hours he had thought about kissing the other man, had watched him talk and laugh, he had thought that he would know all there was about Jethro's lips. But he hadn't imagined how warm they would feel pressed up against his own. The caress of his lips was softer than Tony could have imagined and he opened his mouth with a low moan. It was when Tony finally kissed him back that the world fell away. It was slow and soft and comforting in ways that he hadn't thought possible. This was the cure to all his doubts about this, this was all he had needed to be convinced that this could work. Jethro's hand rested below his ear, his thumb caressing his cheek as their breaths mingled. Tony ran his fingers down Gibbs' spine, pulling him closer until there was no space left between them and he could feel Jethro's own rapid beating of his heart against his chest.

It was Jethro who pulled away first, resting his forehead against Tony's.

"This was good," was all that Tony could say, still breathing heavily.

"Yeah," Gibbs agreed as he finally let go of Tony completely. "I should go home."

"You could come up," Tony gestured towards the apartment complex behind them.

"Not in the mood for Abby, I'm afraid."

"Yeah," Tony nodded again, taking a deep breath to get himself together. "I hear you. Good night then."

"Good night," Gibbs grinned, pulling him closer and giving him a chaste kiss. "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," Tony echoed, then added, "this has been an awesome first date."

"Only took us fifteen years to get here."

*JT*

"Too gross?" Tony asked when Tali shook herself.

"No, but close," she smiled awkwardly.

"And that's really the story how we got together," Gibbs replied. "We went out on a lot of dates after that and half a year later the two of you moved in here."

"And now it's time for bed, Princess," Tony added. "It's already after ten."

"But I've got so many questions," Tali protested. "And you promised to watch your wedding video together."

"Tomorrow."

"Okay," Tali agreed grudgingly, gave both her dads a kiss on the cheek and then went to the bathroom.

"How come you told her the story anyway?" Gibbs asked as he snuggled into Tony.

"She asked," Tony gave him a smile.

"Huh," Gibbs just made. "Surprised that you stopped where you did."

"Well, she didn't want to hear the gory details, did she?"

"Yup," Gibbs laughed.


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Only one more chapter to go after this. And this one... it's pure smut. Sorry! :-D Wedding video coming up in the last one. Thanks!_

 **Chapter Thirteen**

"Remember the first time I stayed at your place?" Tony continued as he snuggled closer towards Jethro.

"Sure. Abby called us a billion times to make sure that Tali had everything she needed."

"Nearly kept us from doing what we wanted to do."

*JT*

"I don't know who's more nervous – Abby about screwing Tali up or me about this..."

"You do realize we don't have to do anything, right?" Jethro asked quietly as he absent-mindedly ran a thumb over the back of Tony's hand.

They were sitting on the couch in Jethro's living room, watching the flames in the fireplace. Abby had been calling for the fifth time and Tony was about to just go and look after Tali himself. He knew that the forensic scientist was perfectly able to take care of her, he trusted her and Tali loved her. That was also why he didn't get why Abby was so nervous. It had been hard enough leaving the little princess alone for the whole night for the first time ever and he really didn't need Abby to fuss over them, too. It was especially weird as Abby had been the one who had insisted that they spend a night alone – just the two of them together.

"I know," Tony grinned. "But I want to," he said, pressing a soft kiss in the crook where Jethro's neck met his shoulder.

It was weird how normal this had gotten over the last couple of weeks. It was like they hadn't done anything else their whole life. Every touch of their hands, every kiss, every cautious hand job – even the first blow job a week ago. It had all come to them so naturally that Tony sometimes wondered why he had had so many doubts about them. They fit perfectly and even Tali who didn't realize that something had changed between them seemed more content than she had been before.

Tony's phone started to buzz again but this time it was just a text message from Abby.

 _Everything alright._ It read. _Won't bother you anymore. Tali's asleep. Have fun!_

Tony shook his head and then tossed his phone onto the coffee table, turning his sole attention towards the man next to him on the couch. Jethro had started running unknown patterns with his fingers on the fabric of Tony's jeans. It felt so good just being touched like that that Tony just closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the feel of Jethro against him.

"Hedonist," he heard Jethro mumble and he let out a snort as he nodded.

"Guilty," he just shrugged as he opened his eyes once more and moved closer, pressing his lips against Jethro's.

They made out for a while without ever really getting anywhere. It felt good, cozy even and Tony let out an almost needy whimper when Jethro drew away, his lips looking fuller than before.

"Move this upstairs?" he asked suddenly sounding a bit unsure of himself.

"Absolutely," Tony all but sprang up, smiling at him. "We're much too old for the couch."

"That might be true," Gibbs grinned as he followed Tony up the stairs, ogling Tony's ass as he did so.

"Like what you see?" Tony quipped as he caught him looking.

"Yes," Jethro just answered bluntly.

They made quick work of getting undressed once in the bedroom and Tony who was already lying on the bed watched as Jethro moved closer. They man was undeniably sexy even if age had taken a bit of a toll on his body. His stomach wasn't hard anymore but still oddly in shape as was the rest of his body. Tony watched him with appreciation. He had lost a couple of pounds himself in the last couple of months, mostly due to stress, but he liked it. He hadn't been this thin, this fit in ten years and he could tell that Jethro liked it too. At least the blue eyes had turned considerably darker as Gibbs lay down beside him.

They started kissing again and Tony pressed closer now, wanting to feel as much of Jethro as possible. They had been talking about taking that final step so no words were needed anymore. He knew what he wanted, Jethro knew it too and really, even if they hadn't talked about it, it was clear as air by the way they were touching, were pressing close, were both hard within seconds of having kissed. Their tongues brushed against each other and their touches became more demanding with every second that passed. Tony's hand found its way around Jethro's body and cupped his ass. He waggled his eyebrows when Jethro took hold of Tony's cock which twitched in anticipation of what was about to come. Gibbs let out a throaty chuckle and then kissed him fiercely. Tony gasped into the kiss this time, having not expected the sudden force of it. Apparently taking advantage of his surprise, Gibbs rolled them over so that he was lying on top of him, giving Tony an almost comical leer. Gibbs let his hands slide down Tony's sides causing him to shiver ever so slightly. Gibbs grinned once more before he started to play with the younger man's by now overly sensitive nipples. Tony let out a groan when Gibbs continued his tender ministrations, kissing his way along the younger man's jaw to his ears, resting there for a few moments as he nibbled at the earlobe, sending shivers down his spine. His hands were suddenly all over him and Tony felt hot and sweaty and they hadn't even done anything yet really. He was so focused on every single touch that ghosted over every inch of his body that he was surprised when Gibbs suddenly stopped and look at him questioningly.

"Don't you dare to stop," Tony pressed out roughly and Gibbs let out a bark of a laugh as he reached for his nightstand to retrieve a bottle of lube.

Tony felt his breath hitch in his throat when the older man looked at him again, his expression so open that it made his heart speed up even more. He couldn't help but reach up and pull him closer against him. They kissed until he felt Gibbs' erection press hard against his own. He let out a moan at the sudden feeling of loss when the older man broke their kiss to squeeze the lube onto his fingers. Tony watched his every movement as he reached between his legs and found his entrance. He circled it with a tenderness that had Tony on edge instantly before he pushed against the muscle. Tony could feel his breathing grow shallower and Gibbs looked at him for a moment, raising an eyebrow.

"Just give me a minute," Tony almost whispered.

Gibbs stopped dead for a moment and just stared down on him, the smile on his lips disappearing for a second before it showed up on his face again.

Tony let out deep breath and then reached up and grabbed Gibbs at the back of his head to draw him down to kiss him again. Almost at the same time, taking Tony's cue, Jethro took hold of Tony's dick as he pushed his finger further inside, causing Tony to moan again. He wriggled his hips and pushed up into Gibbs' fist. He had expected it to hurt like hell, but it was merely burning faintly, overshadowed by the incredible feeling of Jethro's hand on his cock and his lips on his own.

"Please," he finally pressed out in a whisper. "It's fine. I want this. I want you."

"Sure? Don't want to hurt you," Gibbs replied throatily, his voice thick, his eyes blown.

"I'm sure you couldn't," Tony just said and then hissed when Gibbs pulled his finger back and pushed in again, fast this time. "I love you."

That stopped Jethro for a second as he looked at him through hooded eyelids. Tony held his breath, just realizing what he had just said but then decided that it didn't matter. It was the truth. He had loved him for a really long time and even if it had become romantic love only a couple of weeks ago, it wasn't any less true. He loved him with all his heart. He had helped him so much with Tali that he wasn't even sure how he was supposed to ever repay him – maybe telling him he loved him was a first step. Gibbs still looked at him with wonder but then visibly shook himself and smiled at him.

"I love you, too."

Tony felt the heat inside of him spread further, felt warmer than he had ever felt before at Jethro's words as he reached up to kiss him again before he pressed up against Gibbs' finger again. "Come on."

"Okay," Gibbs said, smiling at him again and pulling out altogether before he pushed two fingers inside him.

He held still for a second or two and Tony forced himself to relax. Finally succeeding, as Gibbs stroked his dick again, he nodded at the older man, motioning him to continue. With a broad smile on his lips, Gibbs suddenly crooked his fingers and Tony cried out, his hips thrusting upwards as his cock twitched again. The older man just grinned at him almost devilishly as he set up a rhythm, fucking him thoroughly with his fingers. Tony couldn't help but move with his every motion, his cock already leaking. Gibbs had started to stroke him in earnest and leaned down to steal a few kisses again, his tongue matching the rhythm of those damn fingers inside of him as it thrust into Tony's mouth without mercy. Almost forcefully, Tony gripped the back of Gibbs' head to pull him off of him, panting in order to catch his breath.

"It won't take long if you keep on doing this," he pressed out, suppressing a moan when Gibbs stroked his dick again. "I'd rather have you in me, Jethro."

Gibbs just nodded, the blue in his eyes almost completely gone by now. He pulled his fingers free, causing Tony to moan again, before he slicked some lube over his own dick and then took hold of it, positioning himself at Tony's entrance. Gibbs stopped for a moment and found Tony's eyes again, so he just nodded, giving him a smile and hoping that Gibbs got the message because his own senses didn't seem to be completely connected anymore.

 _Damn, this was so hot._

Gibbs nodded, too, then pushed in and Tony felt himself tighten around the intrusion. He stilled for a moment, taking another deep breath. Gibbs' hands were roaming up and down his stomach in a soothing way now and Tony relaxed almost instantly as he looked into Gibbs' smiling face. He tentatively began to move under the other man, urging him on. He was met with an unsure glance but as Tony moved, Gibbs started to roll his hips and finally pushed all the way in, causing the younger man to squirm at the unexpected fullness.

"Shit," he cried out but the sound was immediately muffled by another searing hot kiss.

Wrapping one leg around Gibbs' waist and lifting the other until the older man's arm slid behind his knee, Tony moved against him again and arched underneath him. Gibbs had apparently forgotten about his earlier insecurity and met his every move now, fucking him harder and faster. Tony let out another gasp when Gibbs hit the right spot again. Through his own arousal, Tony saw Jethro smile at him as he hit it again and again until Tony wasn't able to hold on any longer. Gibbs' hand had grabbed his own and their fingers intertwined as Tony felt himself rippling around the other man. Looking up into those beautiful blue eyes, Tony let out a soundless shout as he came, the world around him turning to fire and then crumbling to ashes. As if from far away, he felt Jethro thrust deep inside of him and then he came, his dick throbbing within him.

Still breathing heavily, the older man released Tony's leg, pulled out of him and then sank down onto Tony's stomach, seemingly unaware of the mess there. He was trembling ever so slightly and Tony's arm came around him, holding him close.

When Gibbs finally looked at him again, his eyes locking into Tony', the younger man felt his breath hitch in his throat again. The other man looked so vulnerable at the moment that Tony wanted nothing more than hold him like this forever.

"Thank you," he finally whispered. "Thanks for being so patient."

"No," Jethro shook his head. "Rushing into things would have made things only more difficult than they already there. This was perfect."

"Yeah, it was," Tony replied, kissing him chastely. "I meant what I said earlier. I love you."

"Love you, too."


End file.
